Halimatou Hima is the Fragility, Conflict and Violence (FCV) country coordinator for Coastal West Africa with the World Bank Group. In this capacity, she leads and contributes to analytical work on FCV-related challenges and risks, including those arising from forced displacement, fragility, or violence, works with regions and countries, notably in the Gulf of Guinea, to support and advance their prevention efforts, and provides operational support to task teams to enhance the FCV focus of operations and responsiveness. Prior to joining the Bank, Halimatou served as Minister counsellor at the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) and expert on children in armed conflict, women/youth, peace and security agendas, and humanitarian response portfolios, covering 21 conflict-affected country-situations worldwide. She was the principal negotiator and co-penholder of the landmark UNSC resolution on the protection of education in armed conflict (UNSCR2601) as well as the presidential statement on attacks on schools in the Sahel (PRST/2020/8). Previously, Halimatou has worked in the social and economic development sectors and projects in Niger, Nigeria, Sierra Leone, and Burkina Faso, among other contexts.
Originally from Niger, Halimatou holds a Ph.D. in Development Studies from the University of Cambridge, an M.A. in Public Policy from Harvard University, and a B.A. in International Relations, Economics, and Africana Studies from Wellesley College. She is a 2022 Echidna Global Scholar at the Brookings Institution where her research investigates the impact of insecurity on educational systems in fragile and conflict affected contexts, notably in the Sahel and the Liptako-Gourna area. She has authored and co-authored several publications on education, socioeconomic inequality, public sector reform and gender.