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I’m an economist with over 20 years of experience working on precarious settlements, social housing and urban policy in the Global South, successfully designing and implementing strategies for public, social and private organizations.
I worked at the São Paulo City Hall, where I led with other colleagues many innovations and seeded a transformative path for the city’s urban and housing agenda. I also supported the Brazilian Ministry of Cities in the construction and implementation of the Brazilian housing policy. I founded and led the NGO INTERAÇÃO, associated with Slum Dwellers International (SDI), supporting the development of high impact projects in communities in the state of São Paulo and Recife, benefiting over 15,000 families; and consequently supporting the overall implementation of a subsidiary in Bolivia.
As a high-level World Bank consultant, I provided technical assistance for the development and implementation of the Brazilian housing and slum upgrading policy for 10 years, including two major programmes: slum upgrading “PAC Favelas” and the housing subsidy “Minha Casa, Minha Vida”. As a senior housing specialist, I also supported the design and implementation of operations in the Global South, acting as facilitator with local, national and international stakeholders, in several countries around the world such as the Philippines, China, India, South Africa, Mozambique, and Brazil, among others.
As the Regional Manager for Latin America and the Caribbean for Cities Alliance, I led the development of the Global Programme on Informality, through which networks of exchange of experience and knowledge were structured and consolidated with a co-production approach at the forefront.
Some of the main achievements include, in Latin America, the development of the network “Urban Housing Practitioners Hub” (UHPH), which brings together professionals and networks working in social housing. In the Global South, multi-sector and disciplinary communities of practice were introduced in the subject of slum urbanization with emphasis on: Mexico, Guatemala, El Salvador, Paraguay, Brazil, South Africa and India.
At the Inter-American Development Bank, I was an expert and advisor in housing and urban policies for organizations from the Global South providing consultancy services for the design of institutional and operational strategies aimed at expanding access to adequate housing in Peru. This involved coordinating a multidisciplinary team of high-level international and local experts in housing and urban planning.
Throughout my career, I have built a robust track record in organizing and presenting at advocacy and technical international events and conferences. I served as the Designated Policy Unit Expert on National Urban Policies during the Habitat III Conference and acted as a speaker in major UN conferences focusing on cities and climate action, including COP26, COP 28 and the World Urban Forum.
My involvement during Habitat III as a policy unit expert on urban planning, along with my participation in various preparatory meetings in LAC, proved to be strategically significant as it played a crucial role in bridging diverse views and shaping the New Urban Agenda.
I played a key role in facilitating policy dialogue spaces such as the India-Brazil-South Africa (IBSA) Human Settlements Group, and the Forum of Ministers and Highest Authorities of Housing and Urban Planning of Latin America and the Caribbean (MINURVI), contributing not only to Brazil but also assisting other countries in the Global South in expanding their understanding of the state of the art of housing and urban development. This involved addressing critical aspects that impact the reality of inequalities, informality, and urban poverty.
In addition, I have been engaged as a Guest Lecturer, contributing expertise in land informality and housing around the world. This involvement spans prestigious institutions such as the University of Cape Town, Harvard Graduate School of Design Land Policy, Escola da Cidade and Fundação Getúlio Vargas.
Currently, as the Executive Director of the United Nations Human Settlements Programme (UN-Habitat), I aim to promote transformational change and overcome structural inequalities in cities and human settlements around the world, especially in the Global South, where historical social and physical infrastructure gaps persist.