A seasoned international development professional with over 30 years of experience. During a distinguished 15-year tenure at the Asian Development Bank (ADB), she held pivotal roles in project design, management, and evaluation, contributing significantly to the shaping and assessment of institutional strategies and policies. Her career, spanning various national and international institutions in over globally in over 20 countries, has made her exceptionally adept at multi-agency and donor coordination. 

Samjhana Shrestha is a seasoned international development professional with over 30 years of experience. During her tenure ADB for more than 15 years, she held key roles in the areas of project design, management, and evaluation, including shaping and evaluating strategies and policies within ADB. Her professional journey includes stints at various national and international institutions, making her adept at multi-agency and donor coordination activities. 

 Her expertise extends to designing, leading, and guiding the implementation of analytical studies. Her publications cover a wide array of development issues, encompassing the evaluation and impact assessment of projects and policies in agriculture, environment, and biodiversity. She has also delved into topics such as access and quality in formal and non-formal education, labour allocation patterns in transitional economies, and gender and inclusion of caste, ethnic, economic, and religious minority groups. Throughout her career, Ms. Shrestha has demonstrated versatility by conducting applied economic research across diverse sectors, resulting in the publication of over 50 works. 

 She has engaged in professional work with diverse stakeholders in over 20 developed and developing countries, including in Central Asia, South Asia, East Asia, and Southeast Asia, as well as in the Pacific and Australia. Her collaborative efforts have included partnerships with academic institutions, multilateral development agencies, governments, business communities, and civil society organization. 

• Asian Development Bank 

1. International Rice Research Institute  

• Various bilateral and international agencies (Long-term consultancies) 

• Strengthening food security and nutrition 

• Development of agricultural value chains  

• Development of capacities, institutions and policies in food safety in formal and informal sectors  

• Comprehensive evaluation of development projects and policies. 

• Advancement of gender equity and social diversity.   

• Institutional Capacity building in monitoring, evaluation and impact assessment  

• Strategic development of  food safety framework   

• Maters in Economics, University of New England, 1993  

• Graduate Diploma in Agricultural Economics, University of New England, 1987 

• Bachelor in Economics, University of New England, 1986