Ella Lazarte

For almost two decades, Ella Lazarte has been developing and overseeing the implementation of solutions and partnerships to drive sustainable growth and change in the water and sanitation sector in low- and middle-income countries. As the Finance and Private Sector Engagement Lead at USAID’s Center for Water Security, Sanitation, and Hygiene in Washington, D.C., she runs the Agency flagship global water and sanitation finance initiative (WASH-FIN 2), which aims to mobilize public and private finance for climate-resilient water and sanitation services globally. As a technical lead, she is responsible for delivering $1b towards the Agency’s water commitment under the President’s Emergency Action Plan for Adaptation and Resilience (PREPARE). She also leads the development of public-private alliances  between USAID and large private companies such as Gap Inc., LIXIL/SATO, and Unilever.  Prior to joining USAID in 2016, she spent a decade at the World Bank supporting pro-poor policy, institutional and regulatory reform to promote private sector participation in the water and energy sectors in Africa, Asia, and Latin America.  Earlier in her career, she was awarded a Fulbright Fellowship in Brazil to assess the role of microfinance programs in economic development and poverty alleviation efforts in Rio de Janeiro’s favelas. A native of the Philippines, Ella has a Bachelor of Arts in Political Economy from UC Berkeley, a Master in City Planning from MIT.

________________________________________________________________________________________

SESSIONS

Tuesday 9th May, 14:00 – 15:30: Sanitation has a Methane Problem: Can climate finance solve it?