Esther McIntosh

I am a Governance and Inclusive Development specialist with eighteen years of technical and managerial experience in international development. I have nine years of experience working directly in conflict affected states, and a track record as a senior manager of technical and integrated teams, working in multi-cultural and complex country contexts. I am currently a Senior Advisor to the Club de Madrid, the largest club of former democratic presidents and prime ministers. Previously, I was the Director of the Decentralisation and Citizen Participation Partnership, within the PNGAustralia Governance Partnership, an innovative (AUD 400 million) bilateral arrangement between the governments of the Papua New Guinea and Australia. Previously, I worked on policy reform and change processes at multiple levels, including under the National Solidarity Program and National Area Based Development Program in Afghanistan, the IRC’s Community Development and Civil Society program in South Sudan and indigenous community engagement in Guyana linked to the country’s Low Carbon Development Strategy. I have in country experience in Central, South Asia and the Pacific (Papua New Guinea, India, Afghanistan, Sri Lanka, Indonesia); Africa (South Sudan) and Latin America and the Caribbean (Guyana, Trinidad & Tobago, Suriname, Barbados, St. Lucia) I have a passion and commitment for the development and inclusion of marginalized groups including youth, women, ethnic minorities and indigenous peoples which has influenced her participation in policy advocacy, specialised committees and research. I am an experienced qualitative researcher with peer-reviewed publications on topics related to minority participation and inclusion in democratic transitions, political processes and decentralization.