Debbie is an expert on gender issues in development. She has dedicated nearly two decades to promoting a gender perspective into the public sector at regional, national and local levels. A former Senior Policy Analyst at the Department for Women and Gender Equality Canada, she led a review of the government’s gender mainstreaming strategy bringing greater attention to the dynamic, complex and diverse understanding of gender, intersectionality and inclusion.
Debbie has spent most of her career working with the United Nations on human rights and gender equality with a focus on gender-based violence against women and girls across various sectors including health and education. She has coordinated a national prevalence survey on intimate partner violence and has supported gender-based violence prevention policies and programmes in multiple countries across regions. At the grassroots levels, she has worked with various CSOs concerned with participation and inclusivity issues.
Debbie holds an MA in Development Studies with a major on Women, Gender Development and a minor in Human Rights from the International Institute of Social Studies (ISS) of Erasmus University Rotterdam.