Rita Sciarra
Team Lead for Inclusive Growth and Poverty Reduction
United Nations Development Programme Hub, Panama
About
Rita Sciarra is an international development expert and Team Lead for Inclusive Growth and Poverty Reduction at the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) Hub in Panama. She previously served as a Strategic Advisor with UNDP in Mexico, supporting the country’s economic recovery following the 2018 earthquake. Originally from Italy and fluent in four languages, Sciarra has more than 14 years of experience working across three continents in both post-conflict and development contexts.
Previously, she served as Head of Poverty Reduction for UNDP in Haiti, where she managed projects supporting the transition from emergency response to long-term development, with a focus on economic development and social inclusion.
Sciarra began her career in 2003, working in India and Bolivia for Italy’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs and in Tanzania with the Ivo de Carneri Foundation. From 2007 to 2011, she worked with UNDP in the Dominican Republic on development goals, early recovery, and evaluation.