Famara S.

I would like to take privilege to i would like to intoduce myself as a Gambian/Dutch holding a dual nationality status and ihave over fifteen plus years of experience in international environments, I am highly motivated by the desire to contribute to a sustainable, fair and inclusive world.

For many years, I have led and managed projects related to defending rights violations,  environmental justice, collaborating with civil society, the private sector and national and decentralised governments in Africa, Asia and Europe. As a team-lead at an International Law Firm, I managed projects in various  countries. Few of these examples includes but not limited to; providing legal services for the Gambia Government's Land Degradation Neutrality Programme, coordinating the review of the policy for water sector reform, proffering legal opinion for prosecution against illegal mining in coastal villages and working with a parliamentary committee to initiate reforms in the award of mining and investment licences. I have also engaged in constitution building processes in the post dictatorship era in the Gambia.

These experiences strengthened my capacity to facilitate policy discussions between policy-makers and civil society organisations. They also availed me the opportunity to partake in budgeting, fundraising, collaborating in finding new donors and strategic management activities with donors and partners. Interacting with various stakeholders has given me the ability to grasp the perspectives of partners, an understanding of the diverse socio-political contexts in which they operate and the skills to link this to policy makers and the work we do.

From my current role as a legal counsel leading a dedicated desk for West Africa, I have gained a very good understanding of and interest in Africa and global politics and cultures. We represent and proffer advice to minority groups and women especially in civil and political rights related matters. Also, carrying out consultancies for multinational actors like the World Bank and the European Union gave me intimate knowledge of these institutions and the way they work, as well as of specific national, regional and continental issues and interests.

I am confident that I have the motivation, the knowledge and the capacities to be an asset. I am an effective team player with a positive attitude, and a strong communicator with excellent interpersonal skills. I have an eye for detail and the ability to perform well under pressure. Having worked with people of different ages, and cultural, ethnic, gender and religious backgrounds, I have a good understanding of the meaning of diversity at the work place. Moreover, I am keen to learn new things from my colleagues to broaden and consolidate my existing skills and knowledge.