Economics, Financial Management, Food Security, Nutrition

Rema Nair Balasundaram

**************@***.***; **************@*****.***,

*** ******* **** ***, ********* MD-20850 USA;

Ph: (Home): +1-240-***-****,

(Mobile): +1-240-***-****

Independent Consultant: World Bank Group, UN and Asian Development Bank

PROFILE

American National, and Professional Development Economist, Policy and Management Adviser working in the International Development landscape with more than three decades of operational experience working on economic growth, public health, livelihoods, public and private sector polices, agriculture, environment, climate change, resilience, disaster risk reduction, rural development and poverty reduction strategies in South Asia, East Asia, Africa, and Latin America, of which twenty five years were in the World Bank. Core work areas include team leading operational and economic policy, financial management operations, and evaluations for the ADB, UN and the World Bank Group, including conducting global, regional, country portfolio and program evaluations, and sector evaluations, and conceptualizing the formulation of financing facilities for multilaterals and bilateral. Leading formulation and implementation of global programs in food insecurity, food science, nutrition, health, HIV/AIDs, public sector reform, Sustainable Development Goals, (SDG), aid effectiveness, humanitarian activities, energy, environment, environmental impact assessments, resettlement, safeguards, and education.

Spearheading operational and technical inputs for investment climate, investment promotion, financial management, trade and competition environments, challenges and linkages in 25 countries in Central Asia, South Asia, South East Asia, East and Southern Africa, and Latin America. Led policy level discussions on investment promotion and landscape discussions with the OECD DAC and International Financial Institutions linked to social and economic sectors for establishing Public Private Partnerships in Least Developed Country contexts, leading to policy inclusion and alterations in the program cycle and national poverty reduction strategies. Market assessments and trends in least developed nations and middle income countries, of the impact of COVID on poverty and inequality, supply chains and value chains in Asia, Latin America and Africa across multiple sectors, social and economic.

Team leading operational reviews of the World Bank Tropical Disease Research Grant Program of the WHO, reviewing grants processes and impact. Team leading a Grants Process Review of World Bank Grants, identifying program challenges, project and program cycle effectiveness and formulating case studies in the health and financing sectors, leading to financing allocation alterations in the Grant cycle. Designed a Risk Review of Pharmaceutical Systems Management, and Procurement of World Bank South Sudan Health Rapid Results Program, and carrying out a system analysis of the above, with proven principals, tools and techniques of instructional design and analysis of social, economic and financial parameters to measure and assess risks early in the project cycle. Formulating project preparation and inputs to poverty, nutrition, community health, food safety, nutrition, food systems, and health system World Bank projects in Asia and Africa. Team leading clinical trials for Children’s Vaccine Protocols in India, and leading reviews on infectious disease in Nigeria, Sudan, Rwanda, Brazil, and Thailand. Leading technical discussions on DHHS protocols and findings with UN agencies, in Burma, Cambodia, Sri Lanka and India. Team led conceptualization and formulation of M&E protocols and lessons learned for HIV/AIDS, with Johns Hopkins, and Malaria and Zika, with the World Bank, and WHO.

Team leading reviews of World Bank Group Problem projects, Dropped Projects, and factors contributing to delayed effectiveness, outcomes and efficiency in the program and project cycle. Formulating guidelines and tool kits for Trust Fund and financing modalities, single donor and multi donor trust funds, integrating risks frameworks taking into account both ex ante and ex post inefficiencies in the grants project cycle, and ex post effectiveness issues, with measures for prevention and mitigation. Built a partnerships donor portfolio from $1.5 million to $7.5 million in four years at the World Bank.

Team leading private sector diagnostics for IFC and World Bank Group; operations and evaluation of Financial Management, Gender and PSD, SMEs, Market Dynamics, Women’s projects on Jobs, Skills, Labor and Decent Work, Agriculture, Climate Change, Food Insecurity, Food Safety, Food Systems, and Conservation. Extensive experience in both conflict and post conflict environments, with operational relevance, and evaluation findings and recommendations that led to policy level changes across and within multiple sectors, and impact in Asia and Africa.

Reviewing Skills, Labor, Jobs and Decent Work in the Agriculture Sector focused on Coffee, Tea, Silk, and Cotton along the Silk Route, in South Asia, and East Asia, namely China, India, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Cambodia, Indonesia, Thailand and Myanmar. The above reviews and inputs were provided as part of IFC, UN, FAO, and ADB project reviews and in depth analysis focused on risks, resilience, and outcomes related to livelihoods, and jobs. Defining and conceptualizing Resilience in the context of Economic, Social, Environmental and Financial determinants of Resilience in Investment Programs of IFIs.

Technical Adviser and Team Leader, ADB URM providing technical assistance and capacity enhancement to the AICD and MIFT Uzbekistan as part of ADB TA-9486, stationed in Tashkent and providing on the spot TA for four months.

Conceptualized statistical capacity building financing needs, for hardware and software of computer needs for program and project needs for multiple sectors in Africa and Asia, taking into account market trends, needs, business and investment climate, health, education and economic and financial sectors, as part of IMF/World Bank ICT projects, with high efficiency rates. Team leading real time reviews of SAP and other technical roll outs of software and design elements, with staff feedback in a detailed manner, led studies on compliance, and built databased of indicator profiles, led reviews internationally for ministries of finance based on grants and capacity building.

Advanced computer skills, and knowledge of SAP, contributing to effectiveness in design of computerized data for public health and social health sectors of ADB and World Bank projects, leading the testing of design tools, for establishing computerized systems, at national levels, at ministries of finance and investment in Africa, and efficiency measures for national governments.

Overseeing and establishing high performing USAID grants and operations as part of Government of India, Senior Program Officer, Ministry of Human Resource Development. Leading best practice operations of grants for training in women and child welfare as part of Government of India, assistance to the Integrated Child Development Services in Maharashtra and Gujarat. Team leading operational assistance to USAID programs in HIV/AIDS, JHU/PCS, Baltimore. Technical Adviser to USAID on Women and Child Welfare Programs in India, and serving on Task Forces and Panels as representative of the Government of India. Team leader of Evaluation of MCC Threshold Program in Zambia and Malawi. Excellent knowledge of USAID program cycle and grant requirements, internationally. Leading discussions on evaluation practices and evaluation methodology with bilateral donors, USAID Evaluation Division, NORAD, DANIDA, DFID and Netherlands as World Bank focal point on evaluation for the OECD DAC Network on Evaluation.

Team leading, conceptualizing and implementing independent evaluations of financial infrastructure, financial management, financing instruments, financing modalities, Private sector engagement in PPPs, women’s empowerment projects, financing approaches in agriculture, food systems, nutrition, health, education, social protection, middle income, low income, and post conflict zones in Asia and Africa. Seasoned World Bank consultant. Conceptualizing social and economic Indicator profile databases for Africa, Middle East and Asia in multiple sectors.

Team led value chain and supply chain analysis in agriculture, health systems, health, education, nutrition, jobs and skills, access to finance, health, and education for women, financing instruments and modalities, access to finance, markets, entrepreneurship, conflict zones, protracted crises zones, women’s weaving markets, sericulture, social entrepreneurship, health sector focal areas of vaccination drives, vaccine production, reporting of infectious disease patterns, breakdown of project implementation protocols in Africa and Asia, Team leading UN system wide reviews for the Joint Inspection Unit on financing instruments in humanitarian operations, leading to major lessons for enhancement of efficiency in financing modalities and approaches by UN agencies.

Leading the formulation of programs in non formal education, primary education, secondary education and tertiary education as part of Government of India team, leading discussions on women and child welfare and health, and serving on the Ministry of Social Welfare Board in India. Team led quality at entry portfolio reviews for World Bank, Global Environment Facility (GEF), and Asian Development Bank (ADB); in Investment Lending, Sovereign Projects (ADB), and Advisory and Analytical Services. Contributed to operational support and formulation of M&E frameworks and action plans, in financial and economic sector governance and reform, institutional and organizational development, Doing Business analytical reviews, capacity enhancement, decentralization and devolution, reviewing budget support.

Team led operational reviews on Results alignment of aid, SWAps, rural development, GEF projects, financial management processes of MDBs and the UN, food economics and food policy, environmental issues, biodiversity, international health, nutrition, and population, HIV/AIDs, and education. Core team member of the Paris and Accra Declaration teams at the World Bank, and excellent knowledge of the “Delivering as One UN” and “One UN Reform”. Extensive experience in data collation, aggregation, analysis, and policy formulation related to MDGs in Africa, south Asia, and East Asia pacific regions. Worked and led operational support and evaluations in Asia Pacific, and East and Southern Africa, as part of the Review of Lending Projects at the World Bank, UNICEF engagement in Global Programs, and ADB Quality at entry Portfolio review across health, social sectors, governance and financial sectors. Formulated international training inputs, guidelines, manuals, and tool kits across social sectors, poverty, health, and governance thematic areas. Served on OECD DAC, Evaluation Cooperation Group, and United Nations Evaluation Group Networks.

Advanced knowledge of establishing, global, regional and national level grant facilities, trust fund quality and process formulation, establishing M&E frameworks for TFs, donor portfolio partnerships, establishing international partnerships across multiple sectors, and raising portfolio and program funding, formulating procedures for monitoring and evaluation of grants, and carrying out grant portfolio reviews. Knowledge and experience of web conceptualization, formulation and editing (World Bank, Jobs and Skills, Quality Assurance, Regional Offices of Asia Pacific, Evaluation, Environmental Safeguards and Forestry Evaluation sites). Team led Knowledge Management Program for Evaluation at the World Bank Evaluation Unit, and led Knowledge Management reviews across sectors.

Team led knowledge learning and training for Development Operations, Development evaluation, at the World Bank, UN agencies, and leading learning workshops at Government of Canada, Ottawa on International Cooperation.

Adjunct Professor: classes on International Health systems at Georgetown, and formulating technical papers on Scaling up for Brookings. Advanced Communications Skills, for speaking, writing and conceptualizing technical videos, and conceptualizing small documentaries with advanced skills for narration.

EDUCATION AND PROFESSIONAL TRAINING

1995: MS. International Development Management (Major in International Economic Policy and Public Administration), American University, School of International Sciences, Washington DC. (Hall of Nations Award, American University, 1994-1995. United Methodist Award for outstanding scholar, American University, 1994.

1986: Management Training in Child Survival, John Burns School of Medicine, East West Center, Hawaii.

1986: Training in the Management of Population Programs for South and East Asia: Population Development Center, PDA, Bangkok, Thailand.

1979: M.Sc. in Food Science and Nutrition, M.S. University, Baroda. India. (Indian Council for Agricultural Research award for graduate study in Food science, 1977-1979).

PROFESSIONAL SUMMARY

August 2022-Current: UNICEF M&E Adviser, PRC, Evaluability of the PRC UNICEF Country Partnership Strategy.

February 2022-June 2022: Programme and Technical Adviser M&E, UNEP Program and Policy Division, Kenya.

October 29, 2021- February 2022: International Technical Adviser, Asian Development Bank, Uzbekistan.

October 2021-August 2022: M&E Adviser UNICEF Indonesia, Evaluability of the Indonesia UNICEF Country Partnership Strategy.

July 2019- June 2021: M&E Senior Consulting Adviser, Europe and Central Asia Team, IFC. Formulating project completion reports, best practices and lessons learned from financial sector projects, focusing on impact and outcomes. Contributing to management and coordination efforts for enhancing efficiency in financial inclusion measures of the ACAFI project in Central Asia. The above inputs led to an additional phase of funding from the Swiss arm SECO, 2021 for three years.

November 2020-January 2021: M&E Lead Consultant, GEF UNEP End Term Evaluation of the Conservation of Tropical Fruit Trees in four countries in Asia, Phase 1.

August 2020-current: M&E Lead Consultant, Technical Reports and ADB Private Sector Operations, Validation, Asian Development Bank (IED).

October 2019-January 2020: M&E Lead Consultant, EMPOWER Sri Lanka, ILO, Jobs, Skills and Decent Work, Evaluation of a UN Peace Building Fund, in Conflict and Post conflict zones.

September 2018-June 2019: M&E Adviser and Team Leader SECO funded GFIP Mid Term Review, IFC-World Bank Group, Washington DC.

May 2018-August 2018: M&E Adviser, UNOCHA Sudan, Team leading Repositioning the M&E Dashboard for Protracted Crises and MYHS Results Framework technical inputs for Harmonizing technical inputs for M&E for the OCHA Sudan Planning Tools like Multi Year Strategy, Humanitarian Response Plan and Humanitarian Needs Overview among Partner Agencies to link the Humanitarian and Development Nexus.

February 2018-May 2018: Senior Consultant-Policy IFPRI Food Systems Diagnostic Notes, Asia and Myanmar. Formulating lessons, and contributing to an IFPRI Diagnostic study.

March 2017- December, 2017: Policy Adviser, FAO, Regional Office for Asia Pacific and FAO Myanmar (based in Nay Pi Taw), leading policy level discussions and technical inputs to Food Systems, Agriculture, Nutrition, Food Safety, and Livelihoods for Government of Myanmar as part of an EU funded project.

October 2016-February 2017: Senior Consultant: Team leading operational inputs to the Health Systems Financing Project in South Sudan, focused on a formulation of Fragility, Risks, Results and Impact. A review of weak institutional capacity of the Ministry of Health South Sudan.

August 2016-December 2016: Senior Consultant: Team leading a review of Clean Energy solutions for the Central American Region.

August 2016-October 2016- Conceptualizing a financing Modality for the UN Road Safety Fund, UNECE Geneva.

June 2016-September 2016: Senior Consultant: Team leading the Project completion report review of the World Bank HIV and AIDS and Health System Strengthening Project in Nepal.

March 2016 –June 2016: Senior consultant: Team leading Monetizing Co-benefits of health impacts on women and children though the energy lens, and operational inputs on household air pollution to a Lao PDR project on energy.

April 2015 June 2016: Senior consultant, IFC Africa Development Impact core team: formulating briefs on Impact and Innovation in the IFC Africa Private Sector Portfolio of Projects

October 2015-January 2016: Senior consultant, IFC Africa FCS Portfolio review of failed projects.

May 2015-August 2017: Senior Consultant, World Bank South Sudan, Health Rapid Results core team for Mid Term Review and operational inputs to the Additional Financing Project.

March 2015-April 2015: Senior Consultant, World Bank Middle and North Africa Region, defining and identifying indicators for the Education sector, for the 24 Arab nations.

August 2014-September 2014: Senior PPP adviser and Consultant: ADB TA Cambodia: Strengthening Technical and Vocational Education and Training Project II : Contributing project preparation assistance towards a loan.

December 2011-Current: Senior Adviser and Consultant: IFC, Center for Development Impact Evaluation, Washington DC.(working on extreme poverty, shared prosperity, investment climate, access to finance, PPPs, transformation agenda, innovation and project validation of IFC projects).

February-September 2014: Team Leader, Review of country procedures used in Procurement and Financial Management, Cambodia. Asian Development Bank.

March 2013-May 2013: Senior Consultant M&E: Urban Primary Health Care Project, Bangladesh, Asian Development Bank. Formulating a Poverty Score Card to measure extreme poverty in urban areas and identify beneficiaries.

December 2012-March 2013: Senior Consultant: Formulating a position paper for carrying out a review of Technical Assistance, Asian Development Bank.

November 2012-March, 2013. Team leading an Evaluation of the Inter Agency Working Group on DDR, World Bank, Africa Conflict Social Development Group, of an EU funded Trust fund modality.

March 2012-September 2012: Senior Consultant: Lessons on Project Processing of Investment Lending projects, from Developing Member Countries, ADB, Manila.

September 2011-April 2012: Consulting Advisor Portfolio Management, ODA Portfolio Management review of grants and trust fund modalities Philippines Country Team, Asian Development Bank.

June 2011-August-2011: Team Leader, UNDP MDG Fund, New York. Team leading a Mid term evaluation of the China Children, Food Security, and Nutrition Program.

April 2010-May, 2011: Special Assignment JIU, UN Geneva, Senior Evaluation Advisor, Review of financial instruments in humanitarian activities used by UN agencies.

March 2010-April 2010- Reviewing and editing Freight Tool Kit, for the Transport Anchor, World Bank.

September 2009-March 2010: Team Leader Evaluation of the MCC Threshold Country Program in Malawi and Zambia.

October 2009-April 2010: Team Leader: Evaluation of the ESMAP Business Plan 2005 2007, Mainstreaming Gender in Energy Operations, World Bank, designing and conceptualizing knowledge briefs and nodes for ESMAP donors .

August 2009-March 2010: Team Leader, Evaluation of the China Community Drive Development pilot, SDV, World Bank.

August 2009-December 2009: Senior Consultant, Formulating and mapping regional partnerships in the environment and energy sector, and formulating project and program design for monitoring and evaluation components of the Energy 4 All Partnership, Foundation for Development Cooperation (funded by Asian Development Bank).

May 2009 –June 2009: Senior Consultant, Formulating and scoping methods for Assessing Results in capacity Building, World Bank Institute.

December 2008-March 2009: Consultant M&E and Portfolio, Africa Results and Learning, World Bank.

March 2009-June -2009: Consultant UNDP and UN Regional Coordination Office Zambia.

July 2008-Setember 2008: Lead Consultant, Aid Effectiveness, Operational Policy Unit, World Bank.

June 2008-April 2009: Lead Consultant UNICEF, New York, Evaluation of UNICEF engagement in Global Program Partnerships

September 2008-November 2008: Lead Consultant, Quality at Entry Review, Asian Development Bank, Manila.

February 2008-July 2008: Consultant, East Asia Pacific Region, Quality Reviews, World Bank.

November 2007-March 2008: Team Leader, Evaluation of Aid Coordination Unit, UNDP Rwanda.

March 2006-February 2008: Consultant, Quality Assurance Group, Team leading quality assurance reviews, and conceptualization of Annual Report on Development Effectiveness, World Bank.

August 2006-March 2007: Senior Consultant, Nordic Consulting Group, (DANIDA) Team leading Annual Poverty Review (PEAP) on behalf of Government of Uganda, Ministry of Planning.

December 2005-April 2006: Consultant, UNIDO Vienna, Evaluation of Related Initiatives, Evaluation of the GEF Project Cycle.

August 2005-February 2006: Independent Consultant, GEF Evaluation Office.

April 2004-June 2005: Consultant/Evaluation Officer, Operational Policy and Core Services Vice Presidency, World Bank, Washington DC.

1997–2004: Partnerships Coordinator, and Evaluation Officer, Operations Evaluation Department World Bank, Washington DC.

1994-1997: Consultant, World Bank, Africa Technical Region, South Asia, SriLanka Resident Mission, Poverty and Policy Division.

1991-1994: Communication Consultant, Johns Hopkins Population Communication Services - Guidelines for HIV/AIDs and Health Communication

1984-1989: Senior Program Officer, Indian Council for Child Welfare, Ministry of Human Resource, Government of India.

1983-1984: Consultant, UNICEF, WHO, WFP, OXFAM International, PLAN International.

1980-1983: Deputy Director Allahabad Agricultural Institute, Uttar Pradesh, Allahabad, India.

1979-1980: Consultant DANIDA, New Delhi, India.

PUBLICATIONS

1. World Bank Grants Process Review, and Case Studies: TDR, CGIAR, CGAP, World Bank, 2000.

2. Harmonization and Results: the case of Tanzania, World Bank, 2005. http://www.mfdr.org/Sourcebook.html.

2. Lessons from Evaluations: the Bank’s engagement with civil society.2003.

3. Banks Note on Harmonization: 2005, World Bank.

4. Progress with country systems: 2005, World Bank.

5. Lessons from evaluations: India country assistance evaluation: OED, 2001.

6. Lessons from evaluation: Bulgaria country assistance evaluation: OED, 2002

7. Lessons from evaluation: Russia country assistance evaluation: OED 2003.

8. Evaluation of Gender inclusion in the Bank: OED 2002

9. Evaluation of Indigenous Peoples: OED 2002.

10. Partnerships at OED: Thirty years of OED, 2000.

11. Harmonization around Results Reporting: Madagascar, Mozambique, Tanzania and Uganda. OPCS, World Bank, 2005.

12. Alignment to Results and Poverty Reduction Strategies, Uganda, World Bank, 2005.

13. Interaction Between Evaluation Offices and Governing Bodies: A Comparative Study, GEFME, 2005.

14. Evaluation of the GEF Activity Cycle and Modalities: Related Initiatives, GEFEO, 2006.

15. Evaluation of the Basket Fund, Support to Aid Coordination, Harmonization and Alignment, Rwanda. March, 2008.

16. An Assessment of AAA Dropped projects, Quality Assurance Group, March, 2008.

17. An Annual Review of Portfolio Performance, Quality Assurance Group, 2007, and 2008.

18. Lele U., Rema N. Balasundaram, Joost Gorter and Ritika Kapur (2007): Scaling up development assistance: lessons from donor evaluations and evaluation journals for achieving large scale sustainable impacts: A Paper Prepared for the Wolfensohn Initiative of the Brookings Institution.

19. An Assessment of Country AAA Phase 11, Quality Assurance Group, April, 2008.

20. Rwanda Country assistance Strategy, completion Report, World Bank, July 2008.

21. Quality at Entry Review of ADB Sovereign Projects, January 2009.

22. Evaluation of UNICEF engagement in Global Programs and Partnerships, May 2009.

23. Zambia UNDAF Medium Term Review, June 2009.

24. Assessment of Impact of the ESMAP Business Plan 2005-2007, World Bank, March 2010.

25. Evaluation of the MCC Zambia Threshold Program, 2010.

26. Mid Term Evaluation of the UNDP Joint Programme on Children, Food Security and Nutrition in China., August, 2011.

27. CDTA-7806: Results Oriented Strategic Planning and Management for Inclusive Growth, Enhancing the National Economic Development Authority, Project Monitoring Staff-Project Processes and Systems, TA Consultant Report, ADB, October 2012 (Forthcoming).

28. Evaluation of the EU funding to the Inter Agency Working Group on DDR, World Bank, April 2013.

29. IFC and World Bank Goals, Forthcoming, August 2014.

30. ADB Review of Technical Assistance, October 2014.

31. Mid Term Review of South Sudan HRRP, September, 2015.

32. Livewire on Redefining Health in Lao Cookstoves, World Bank, 2016.

33. Policy Framework for Nutrition Sensitive Food Systems in Myanmar, 2018, IFPRI.

34. Mid Term Review of SECO funded Global Financial Infrastructure Program, 2019. (IFC-FCI)

35. End Term Evaluation of Peacebuilding Fund, EMPOWER Project, Sri Lanka, ILO; February,2020.

36. Validation of Technical Assistance PRC-Regional Program on Social Protection, ADB, October, 2021.

37. Portfolio and Project Management-TA-9486, AICD-Rema Balasundaram, Asian Development Bank, February, 2022.

REFERENCES

1.Dr. Mathew T. Thomas, Senior Advisor for Policy, FDA/CDER/OC/Office of Scientific Investigations, 10903 New Hampshire Ave. Bldg. 51, Rm. 5320; Silver Spring, MD 20993; phone 301-***-**** or 240-***-****; e-mail: ******.******@***.***.***

2.Rozario A.(Tony) Francis

COR III, FAC PPM level III: Director/Chief - Office of Hospital Physical Environment

301-***-**** (o); 202-***-**** (cell) e-mail: ********@****.***.***

3.Noel Chisaka, Team Leader Health, Nutrition Population, Africa World Bank Group, ********@*********.***,

4.Sumiter Broca, Policy Adviser, FAO Regional Office for Asia Pacific, Bangkok, *******.*****@***.***, +66-269-74324

5.Patrick Grasso, Former Sr. Advisor, IEG, World Bank: +1-202-***-****. *********@*******.***

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