Rima Al-Azar (United States and Lebanon) is an accomplished international development expert with over 27 years of experience across more than 70 countries in Sub-Saharan Africa, Asia, the Middle East, North Africa, and Latin America. Renowned for her cross-disciplinary approach and strategic leadership, Rima works at the intersection of policy, practice, and advocacy, creating transformative impacts in areas such as gender equality, migration, social protection, good governance, climate resilience, and poverty reduction.

She has held senior positions at the World Bank, FAO, UNDP, UNICEF, and Transparency International. Additionally, she has served as Team Leader or Senior Evaluator for the EU, ADB, KfW, SIDA, DANIDA, and numerous UN agencies. Rima’s advisory work encompasses strategic evaluations, programme design, institutional assessments, and policy formulation, often in complex or fragile contexts.

She has led more than 20 strategic and thematic evaluations as a trusted evaluator and advisor. She has authored flagship reports and case studies that influence institutional strategies on gender and social inclusion, the humanitarian-peace-development nexus, MSMEs, and anti-corruption. Her recent work has guided national reforms in Saudi Arabia, shaped regional strategy for the UN in the Arab States, and supported World Bank operations from Egypt to Liberia.

Multilingual and culturally agile, Rima is fluent in English, French, Arabic, and Italian, and has a working knowledge of Spanish and Portuguese. Her academic background includes graduate degrees from Georgetown University, Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS), and Rutgers University, which ground her work in international development, public policy, and educational psychology.

Rima is a sought-after advisor for governments, multilateral institutions, and global think tanks. She combines sharp policy insights with grassroots sensitivity, consistently centering inclusion, local agency, and long-term resilience.