Joe Colombano
Joe Colombano is Director of the Office of the Special Adviser on the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development in the Executive Office of the Secretary-General of the United Nations. In this capacity, he leads the substantive work of the Office and represents the Special Adviser in engagements with Member States and external constituencies. He was previously the Deputy to the Special Adviser of the Secretary-General on Post-2015 Development Planning, and, before that, the MDG Adviser in the Executive Office of the Secretary-General.
Joe is an economist with over eighteen years of experience in emerging markets, and his work focuses on addressing the challenges of low- and middle-income countries. Joe’s experience covers a wide range of sectors and regions, including international finance and banking in Central and Eastern Europe, Asia, and Sub-Saharan Africa. Before his current position, Joe built a career in development finance, first at the World Bank in Washington DC., and later in London, at the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, including as Advisor to its Board of Directors. As a banker, Joe worked with corporate parties and governments to co-invest in project finance transactions in the infrastructure sector in emerging markets. He also lived in the Congo, where he advised the Central Bank on monetary policy.
Joe has published frequently on economics and development. His book “Learning from the World: New Ideas to Redevelop America” was published by Palgrave Macmillan in 2014. He received his graduate degrees from the University of Warwick in the UK and Harvard University in the US.
Joe is an economist with over eighteen years of experience in emerging markets, and his work focuses on addressing the challenges of low- and middle-income countries. Joe’s experience covers a wide range of sectors and regions, including international finance and banking in Central and Eastern Europe, Asia, and Sub-Saharan Africa. Before his current position, Joe built a career in development finance, first at the World Bank in Washington DC., and later in London, at the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, including as Advisor to its Board of Directors. As a banker, Joe worked with corporate parties and governments to co-invest in project finance transactions in the infrastructure sector in emerging markets. He also lived in the Congo, where he advised the Central Bank on monetary policy.
Joe has published frequently on economics and development. His book “Learning from the World: New Ideas to Redevelop America” was published by Palgrave Macmillan in 2014. He received his graduate degrees from the University of Warwick in the UK and Harvard University in the US.
