Varalakshmi (Vara) Vemuru, an Indian national, is Practice Manager for the Social Sustainability and Inclusion (SSI) Global Practice in the Europe and Central Asia (ECA) Region at the World Bank, a position she started on September 1, 2020. The ECA SSI team that she oversees supports member countries’ efforts to ensuring inclusion, resilience, cohesion, and accountability in World Bank supported policies, programs, projects, and analytics, and broadening the partnership among stakeholders for coordinated response.
Prior to that, she was Lead Specialist in Africa region. Since joining the World Bank in 2000, Vara has worked on various investment operations, analytics, social risk management and policy advice activities in the South Asia, East and West Africa, Europe and Central Asia regions, and the Global Unit of the World Bank.
Her main areas of interest and expertise include Social Inclusion with a particular focus on disability inclusion including mental health, Women’s Social and Economic Empowerment, Gender-based Violence (GBV) prevention and mitigation, Development response to Fragility and Conflict Risks and impacts including refugee and Internally Displaced Persons support, and Inclusive community and local development. She has led reports on Social Impacts of Forced Displacement, Disability Inclusion, Gender and GBV, as well as Indigenous Peoples.