About

Jessica Banfield is a conflict, peacebuilding and governance specialist with 20 + years’ experience spanning INGO programme management, consulting and work with the UN in diverse regions. In staff positions she has served as Director of Programmes, Africa Regional Manager and Uganda Country Manager for International Alert, and Conflict Prevention and Peacebuilding Specialist with UNDP based in Istanbul.

As a consultant, Jessica supports clients in delivering quality research and policy outputs, designing programme and organisational strategy frameworks that are geared towards tackling root causes of division and mistrust, and understanding and deepening impact in fragile and conflict-affected settings. She provides gender and conflict-sensitivity as well as localisation advice. Jessica works both independently and collaboratively, bringing a strong analytical outlook and writing skills as well as management and delivery experience.

• Strategic support to UN RCO/ OCHA Pakistan on climate resilience/ HDPN
• Facilitating design of conflict sensitive organisational strategy Prishtina Institute for Political Studies
• Consultant to Peace Nexus, Humanity United, Robert Bosch Foundation, Dutch MFA, designing a Peacebuilding Localisation Assessment Tool
• Conflict Prevention Consultant providing programme design and strategy support to UNDP North West Nigeria Prevention Facility
• Supporting FBA social cohesion in Montenegro/ UN partnership
• Advisor to Principles for Peace Foundation
• Gender advisor to Interpeace
• Lead author recent study on military coups in Africa, UNDP
• Programme design and drafting of USD 250m UNDP Regional Programme for Africa 2022-25
• Strategic guidance UNDP Ukraine on social cohesion
• Lead author UNDP Reimagining Governance paper to inform 2022-25 Strategic Plan
• Author the “P” in the HDPN – for IASC RG4/
• Co-author UN Global Focal Point Joint Rule of Law Programming Guidance Note
• Conflict Advisor assigned to British Embassy Tbilisi focused on Nagorno-Karabakh.