Somalia

Franco Conzato, an Italian national, has been working in international cooperation for more than 30 years. Since 2021 Franco has served as Senior Expert directly attached to the Director for Sustainable Development and Coordination in DG INTPA. From 1987 till 2001 he served in 3 EU African Delegations: Somalia, Ghana , Ethiopia as Economic Adviser. From 2001 till 2004 he was Country economist in HQs and then moved to Paris in the EU Delegation to OECD and UNESCO. He represented the EU in the OECD-DAC Committee, of which from 2008-09 was DAC Vice-Chair and a Deputy Representative in UNESCOs.
Back in HQs in 2009, he served in several positions in DG INTPA including as Deputy Head of Unit of the Quality Results and Performance Unit ( now known ad INTPA/D4). He has been leading work in programming and, since 2015, in setting a up a results framework for EU external assistance financial instruments. He is currently leading in DG INTPA work on performance-based financing/financing not link to cost.
Following his retirement in July 2024, Franco has signed in December 2024 as Active Senior within the Directorate for Sustainable Development and Coordination in DG INTPA

I am a Programme Officer to the EU Delegation in Benin in charge of Energy and Environment. I also have a strong interest for Rural Development and Infrastructures in general. I have been working for the European Commission since September 2005.

Hur Hassnain (MDS, MBA) is an evaluation specialist, author, Treasurer and founding Board Member at the International Evaluation Academy. Currently he is working as the Senior Evaluation Expert at Meldea, the European Commission DG INTPA, DG NEAR, and FPI’s external service on Monitoring, Evaluation, Learning, and Design supporting the headquarter units, and over a hundred EU Delegations around the world.

Hur has authored several internationally peer reviewed publications, including a book as lead author: Evaluation in Contexts of Fragility, Conflict and Violence published in 2021. It presents an interesting argument that “evaluation” – like development aid itself – can unintentionally exacerbate tensions in ways that can negatively affect people and institutions if care is not taken in designing and approaching it with caution and sensitivity.

Hur has over 20 years of experience of working in a variety of thematic areas including but not limited to gender equality, rural development, climate change, renewable energy, agriculture, women’s economic empowerment, education, and protection. He has lived and worked in Asia, the Middle East, Africa, and Europe. Hur has designed, commissioned, and conducted research and evaluations for projects funded by UN agencies, the European Commission, private donors and the governments of the United Kingdom, Germany, Canada, Switzerland, the Netherlands, and Norway.

Hur is a staunch advocate of the Latin proverb "rerum cognoscere causas", signifying the pursuit of understanding the causes of things – a guiding principle that underpins his work and philosophy.

Programme Manager. Resilience and Climate Change.
Delegation of the European Union to Zimbabwe