Elena Bertusi, an Italian national, joined IFAD's Global Engagement team in January 2023, overseeing policy processes and farmers' engagement.
Her responsibilities include coordinating IFAD's involvement in the Committee on World Food Security and the UN Decade on Family Farming. Elena manages relationships with partners in these areas and oversees grant funding. Before joining the Global Engagement Team, she began her IFAD career in 2016, contributing to the South-South and Triangular Cooperation program, where she designed the 2016 strategy and managed events.
Elena later joined the Food Systems Summit Team, focusing on internal and external coordination for IFAD's engagement in the 2021 summit and its aftermath. With prior experience at the World Bank and in the legal industry, Elena, a qualified lawyer from the Bocconi University, holds degrees in International Law and International Criminal Law from the UNICRI and University of Torino.
She is fluent in Italian, English, and Portuguese, she was admitted to practice law in 2015.