Rekha Mehra

Rekha Mehra is Director of Economic Development at the International Center for Research on Women (ICRW), a non-governmental organization based in Washington, D.C. ICRW believes women are integral to development. Its mission is to reduce poverty, empower women and promote gender equality. ICRW research reveals women’s extensive contributions to their communities and the barriers that prevent their economic and social advancement. Through evidence-based design, measurement and policy advice, ICRW offers solutions to prevent HIV, violence against women and child marriage and to improve women’s health, education and economic opportunities.

At ICRW, Dr. Mehra leads work on gender and agriculture, assets and property rights, enterprise development and financial services, and monitoring and evaluation. She has worked on gender and development issues for over 25 years and written extensively on agriculture, gender mainstreaming, microfinance and employment. As a senior gender specialist at the World Bank (2006-8), she implemented the Gender Action Plan (GAP) focused on integrating gender into the economic sectors. She served as the program officer responsible for the development finance portfolio at the Ford Foundation, New Delhi (2000-5) and directed the USAID-funded WIDTECH global technical assistance project from 1996-2000. She is a member of a program advisory panel of the World Food Center and the advisory committee of AGree, a U.S-based national food and agriculture policy group. Recent publications include The Significant Shift: Women, Food Security and Agriculture in a Global Marketplace. Gender Mainstreaming: Making It Happen, Women Help Solve Hunger: Why Is the World Still Waiting? Dr. Mehra holds a Ph.D. in Agricultural Economics from the University of Florida.