Sofia Bettencourt was until 2016 the Lead Adaptation Specialist at the Global Facility for Disaster Reduction and Recovery (GFDRR). After working at the World Bank for 26 years, she retired in December 2016, and has since worked as a consultant for community resilience in the Pacific Island region. She lives in Cascais, Portugal.
Sofia specializes in both disaster risk management and climate change adaptation and was one of the first pioneers of adaptation projects at the World Bank. She has since worked extensively on inter-sectoral and participatory planning, community resilience, adaptation mainstreaming and coastal adaptation, helping to develop resilience and DRM programs in Kiribati, Madagascar, Zambia and São Tomé and Príncipe. At GFDRR, she led the Facility’s program on Climate Change Resilience and the Small Island States Resilience Initiative.
Sofia has a Master's in Resource Economics from the University of Rhode Island and a graduate-level degree from the Classical University of Lisbon in Coastal Resources Management and Environment.
Contact: sofia.u.bettencourt@gmail.com