Inter-Agency Real Time Evaluation of the Humanitarian ... - alnap

Annex 9: BIOs Team Members
Mr. Riccardo Polastro (Italian) is Head of Evaluation at DARA. He has 18 years of experience in
humanitarian affairs and development aid having worked in sixty countries for the International
Movement of the Red Cross, the United Nations, NGOs and donor agencies. Since 2001, Mr
Polastro has carried out policy, partnership and operational evaluations and reviews for Danida,
DFID, the DG ECHO, EC, IASC, ICRC, Norad, OCHA, UNHCR, UNICEF, UNDP, SIDA and other
organizations. To date, he has carried out four Inter‐Agency Real time evaluations of the
humanitarian system response to both conflict and natural disasters. Riccardo lectures in several
university MA programs and provides professional training on evaluation and development
related topics. He holds an MPhil in Peace and Security, an MA in International Relations, and a
Maîtrise of the Ecole des Hautes Etudes en Sciences Sociales, Paris.
Mr. Nicolai Steen Nielsen is a senior evaluator at DARA with more than 15 years of experience
in international development and humanitarian assistance in Africa, Asia and Latin America,
working for NGOs, the UN and private consultancy firms. He has been a consultant on numerous
evaluations (midterm‐, post‐, and impact), thematic studies, reviews, long‐term implementation
programmes and appraisals for bilateral (Danida, DFID, SDC, SIDA) and multilateral organizations
(World Bank, NDF, UNICEF, WFP, OCHA‐IASC), as well as for international NGOs and research
entities (Spanish Red Cross, IBIS, ADRA, MS/Action‐Aid and DIIS). Nicolai has specialized in the
areas of aid effectiveness, governance, disaster risk reduction and climate change adaptation,
education and as M&E specialist. Nicolai is currently coordinator for a global disaster risk
reduction initiative. Nicolai has developed in‐depth expertise in mixed methods (quantitative
and qualitative analysis) and evidence based research and studies. Nicolai has been a
programme officer for UNICEF for three years as.
Ms. Farwa Zafar a specialist in international affairs and a longtime practitioner, analyst and
observer of political, humanitarian and social development trends is an expert monitor and
evaluator of humanitarian response and development interventions having a close knowledge
and familiarity of the broader sector. She has extensive experience on the interface between
policy, research, and practical actions having worked in government, academia, civil society, and
the international system. She has been a strategic and operational advisor to a number of
international organisations including the UN, World Bank, DFID, USAID, NGOs and local
communities and has carried out many project reviews & evaluations, surveys and data analysis
in Pakistan and other countries. Farwa also has multiple years of experience in working on
political and parliamentary development issues as well as in political research and managing
seminars/trainings/consultations. Farwa is a graduate of the School of International and Public
Affairs, Columbia University, USA and Punjab University, Lahore Pakistan.
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