Ms. Jyotsna (Jo) Puri is serving as Director, Policy and Programme Division.
She is an expert in international development, climate finance and impact evaluation, with close to 30 years of experience in the multilateral sector.
Dr. Puri was the associate vice president of strategy and knowledge at the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) until August 2024. In this role, she spearheaded the work on the technical quality of IFAD operations and investments at the country and international levels. She led a team of more than 200 across IFAD offices. As Strategic Advisor to the President of IFAD, she led the development of IFAD’s strategy (2025-2031) and its flagship Rural Development Report, which focuses on financing for transforming rural areas.
Between 2017 and 2020, Dr. Puri was the inaugural head of the Independent Evaluation Office of the Green Climate Fund (GCF). She oversaw the First Performance Review of the GCF, which provided the blueprint for the GCF’s new strategy. She also initiated the data and behavioral science labs at the GCF Independent Evaluation Unit. Dr. Puri advocated for evidence-driven policies and programmes at the International Initiative for Impact Evaluation (3ie), where she was the deputy executive director and head of evaluation.
She is also an adjunct associate professor at Columbia University’s School of International and Public Affairs (SIPA), where she teaches development effectiveness. She is also a senior fellow at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, Washington DC. Dr. Puri has played an instrumental role in conceptualizing resilience credits that provide a model for incentivizing financing for climate adaptation. She has contributed to several high-level policy groups within the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change and the United Nations Environment Programme. Dr. Puri has authored numerous academic articles and reports on climate resilience, impact evaluation, and innovation. She was the co-chair of the International Land Coalition (2022-2024) and is also on the board of Innovations for Policy Action (unpaid).
Dr. Puri holds a Ph.D. and MSc. in Agriculture and Resource Economics from the University of Maryland, USA, and an MA. in Development Economics from the Delhi School of Economics, India.
Staff Position Level: D2
Region: Asia Pacific
