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Ms. Alexandra Bilak

 portrait of Ms. Alexandra BilaMs. Alexandra Bilak was appointed in December 2019 as a member of the Expert Advisory Group for the United Nations Secretary General’s High-Level Panel on Internal Displacement.

Ms. Alexandra Bilak has almost 20 years’ experience in the international non-profit sector, with a focus on research and policy development on displacement in the context of armed conflict, violence, disasters and climate change. After a decade working in Africa, she joined the Internal Displacement Monitoring Centre (IDMC) in Geneva as Head of Policy and Research in 2014, becoming its Director in August 2016.

As Director, Ms. Bilak is responsible for the strategy, positioning and resource mobilization of the organization and for growing its reach and influence. Her role includes establishing strategic partnerships with governments, UN agencies, regional organizations and other relevant stakeholders. She created in 2016 and now directs the publication of IDMC’s annual flagship report the Global Report on Internal Displacement (GRID), and leads the IDMC team to provide high-quality data, analysis and expertise to a growing number of partners worldwide. Since becoming Director, Alexandra has focused on supporting and promoting the sharing of best practice among countries affected by internal displacement, and on ensuring that internal displacement is addressed as part of global, regional and national policy frameworks spanning prevention and risk reduction, humanitarian action, early recovery and sustainable development.

Prior to joining IDMC, Alexandra served as Country Director and Programme Manager for international NGOs and research institutes in sub-Saharan Africa, including Oxfam, the Life & ¹ú²úAV Institute, the International Rescue Committee and the Danish Refugee Council. She lived and worked in Rwanda in 2001, the Democratic Republic of Congo from 2004 to 2008, and in Kenya from 2009 to 2014. She has published extensively on the themes of forced displacement, conflict and civil society development.

Alexandra holds a Master's degree in International Politics from the School of Oriental and African Studies in London and a DEA (Diplôme d’Études Approfondies) in African Studies and Political Science from the University of Paris I Panthéon-Sorbonne. She is bilingual French-English.

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