The women leading the world's largest bilateral aid agencies

By Jenny Lei Ravelo @JennyLeiRavelo11 November 2016

Women continue to hold fewer leadership roles than men in international development.

A Devex analysis in 2014 on gender parity among 50 leading international NGOs showed women make up 44 percent of senior-level executives at headquarters and 27 percent in regional offices.

Devex wondered whether this applied to the heads of bilateral aid agencies. To find out, we identified the leaders of the main implementing agencies of the 10 largest OECD-DAC bilateral donors. In instances when development cooperation falls under a country’s broader ministry of foreign affairs, Devex chose the leaders that specifically handle the international development portfolio. Also included in the list are the women leading the bilateral donors' development.

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About the author

Jenny Lei Ravelo@JennyLeiRavelo

Jenny Lei Ravelo is a Devex senior reporter based in Manila. Since 2011, she has covered a wide range of development and humanitarian aid issues, from leadership and policy changes at DfID to the logistical and security impediments faced by international and local aid responders in disaster-prone and conflict-affected countries in Africa and Asia. Her interests include global health and the analysis of aid challenges and trends in sub-Saharan Africa.