Bisrat Aklilu - UNDP - Executive Co-ordinator Multi-Donor Trust Fund

Education

1974 - Faculty member, Arthur D. Little Management Education Institute, Boston,
1975-1976 - Research associate, Migration Project, Center for International Studies, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Boston,
1975 – 1979 - Assistant professor, Department of economics, Boston University,
1979 - Consultant, Economics and Social Policy Department, FAO, Rome,
1979 – 1981 - Country portfolio manager (in charge of projects in Ghana, Niger, Guinea Bissau, Lesotho, Mauritius, Mozambique), Africa Division, IFAD, Rome,
1981 – 1989 - Member of the Board of Directors, and Chairman of the African Sub-Committee, OXFAM America, New York,
1981 – 1990 - Senior country portfolio manager (in charge of projects in Sudan, Egypt, Turkey, Syria, Jordan, Cyprus and Malta), Near East and North Africa Division, IFAD, Rome,
1990 – 1996 - Division chief, IFAD Programmes,
1996 Deputy Executive Director Director of Operations, UNOPS , New York,

Areas of Interest and Expertise 

• Economic and social policies
• Migration
• Rural development  

Publications

The Diffusion of Fertilizer in Ethiopia: Pattern Determinants and Implications (1979)

Consumer Food Cooperatives: From Here to Where – coauthored with Donald R. Marion (1975)

He regularly writes on the MDTF quarterly newsletter providing updates on the status of programmes and projects under implementation. In the latest issue for 2011, he outlined how despite the global economic downturn, contributions to UN MPTFs/JPs continued to be strong, reflecting positive assessments of contributing partners of UN ‘Delivering-as-One’ operations. At the beginning of 2012, the MPTF Office was requested to administer two UN MPTFs (the South Sudan Common Humanitarian Fund and the Scale-up Nutrition (SUN) Movement Fund); two UN JPs (the Lao Service Delivery of Local Administrations and a Joint Programme Towards Rio+20 and Beyond) and a National Trust Fund, the Mali Climate Fund.

Speeches and Statements

Presentation "The United Nations and the Millennium Development Goals: Challenges and Opportunities at St Michael’s College (2008).

..."U.N. Millennium Development goals are hardest to meet in sub-Saharan Africa and south Asia, and the suddenly soaring price of food could wipe out progress. Donors are not on track for what is needed and would need to double donations to reach targets, and that’s very unlikely with so much money squandered on wars. The most decisive factor in the success of development efforts is how countries are governed"...
...Aklilu also spoke of losing colleagues in the bombing of the U.N. building in Iraq in 2003. He has visited the embattled country in his work several times…