Francesco Tornieri

Francesco is currently the Principal Social Development Specialist (Social Inclusion). He promotes the visibility of gender equality, women's empowerment, and social inclusion in the design, implementation, and monitoring of ADB operations in South Asia. Prior to ADB, Francesco worked as a Social Development Specialist in the Africa Region of the World Bank, where he was involved in the implementation of a broad range of social development, gender and development, and social protection-related initiatives.

Begum Shamsun Nahar

Ms. Begum Shamsun Nahar, a Freelance Consultant as Social Scientist & Gender Expert; Mid-Term Review and Evaluation Expert; Resettlement Expert; Knowledge Development & Training Expert; as well as Lead Researcher of Social Survey (Sanitation and Socio-Economic Household Survey; Improved Cook Stoves End User Survey; Water and Sanitation Survey for Low-Income Customers Service Improvement Plan; etc.). She has more than 34 years of experience in policy analysis, project design and implementation as well as Mid-Term Review and Evaluation of Projects/Programs/NGOs.

Bangladesh Coastal Towns Environmental Infrastructure Project: Inclusive Approach for Disaster Risk Management

Supporting change on the ground by working with those most at risk, the Bangladesh Coastal Towns Environmental Infrastructure Project is an example of inclusive approach to disaster risk management. The project’s intended outcome is increase in climate and disaster resiliency in coastal towns that benefit the poor and women.

Samantha Hung

Samantha Hung provides leadership for advancing gender equality across all aspects of ADB operations and knowledge work. She has over 20 years of experience in gender equality at project, program and policy levels in the Asia Pacific. Before ADB, she held various gender advisor and specialist roles for the New Zealand Agency for International Development, Pacific Islands Forum Secretariat, UNICEF, Australian Government Office on the Status of Women and UK Institute of Development Studies attached to the University of Sussex.

Civil Registration in Asia and the Pacific: Ensuring Rights for Women and Girls

This presentation emphasizes the importance of civil registration—birth registration—in enabling access to health care, education, or financial entitlements, especially for women. It also enjoins support for "A Decade for Civil Registration and Vital Statistics for 2015-2024 in Asia and the Pacific," as declared by UNICEF.

Gendered Impacts of Caribbean Trade Agreements: Enhancing Women's Access to Export Markets and Trade Facilitation

This presentation provides an overview of the Caribbean Development Bank's (CDB) gender programs and initiatives in CDB borrowing member countries. It delves into an analysis of the Caribbean Single Market and Economy framework, and its impact in the region.