Tasneem Salam is a senior socio-economist who has worked for many years in economic development and urban and rural poverty alleviation programmes in both developed and developing countries. She combines these skills with her social development expertise to obtain a deep understanding of cause-effect relationships of different contexts, to identify real opportunities and develop practical solutions for enhanced positive impact.
She has worked with Social Development Direct on multiple ground-breaking assignments helping to mainstream gender equality and social inclusion across economic development programming. This includes the Infrastructure for Cities and Economic Development Programme (client FCDO), guidance notes for the private sector on Gender Based Violence and Harassment prevention (client IFC/EBRD/CDC) and is currently supporting the EIB in developing an overarching Social Sustainability and Inclusion framework and strategy to guide their investments inside and outside the EU.
Tasneem is experienced in working for both the public and private sector as well as projects which bring the two together. In the public sector her work has ranged from advising local governments and development corporations in the UK on regeneration strategies to projects for the Hong Kong Planning Department to a project on rural poverty alleviation for the National Planning Agency of Indonesia (funded by JBIC). In the private sector she has worked across sectors from SMEs to large mining operations.
A key aspect that Tasneem brings to projects is the ability to use her skills as a social scientist to look at potential for positive impact as well as risk management. With regard to the latter, she has been/ is part of large-scale teams providing input to social and economic risk management, including on issues around resettlement, that meet international performance standards such as on the Standard Gauge Railway Projects in Tanzania, and a Hydroelectric Dam in Chile.
She has wide ranging experience of working with international finance institution (such as EBRD, ADB, IFC and EIB), and has a good understanding of their potential to bring about positive change, as well as the challenges they face. She was part of a high-level team that carried out an External Review of IFC/Multilateral Investment Guarantee Agency (MIGA) Environment and Social Accountability, including the Office of the Compliance Advisor Ombudsman in 2019/2020.
Tasneem is also founder and director of Tasneem Gallery, based in Barcelona, a contemporary gallery with a global vision which creates dialogue between artists and curators around the world and facilitates discourse on social issues.
