Bella Evidente
Senior Advisor, Humanitarian Affairs
& International Development
Bella is a seasoned advocate for the Sustainable Development Agenda, with a particular focus on gender equality, climate action and sustainable cities and communities. She has over three decades of diverse international experience in global humanitarian and development contexts in Asia, Africa, Europe, North America and the Middle East.
She comes from a long history of service with the United Nations system and spent most of her career in senior management roles where she led UN country offices in extremely challenging and difficult settings, delivered emergency relief, humanitarian and early recovery support to millions of people affected by disasters,
conflict and protracted crises and instituted a series of reforms to the environmental, economic and social inclusion programmes of host governments and stakeholders.
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Known for her leadership qualities in cultivating capabilities, curating knowledge and connecting people, she recently co-authored a study on ‘Disaster Protection for All: A Gender Responsive and Disability Inclusive Approach to Disaster Risk Reduction’ with the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE). She also serves as Chair of the Board of Trustees of refugeeEd which provides displaced populations, refugees and migrants, particularly women and children, living in camps and host communities in Greece with access to good education and skills development.
Bella is passionately committed to empowering women, particularly in disaster and crisis-affected regions around the world, to take control of their lives, build resilience and lead in decision-making.