Dr. Gita Gopal

Dr. GITA GOPAL
ADVISOR (SPECIAL), GENDER STUDIES

Dr. Gita Gopal brings over three decades of experience in development projects, policy-making, and gender equality. With a Doctorate from Harvard Law School, she has an extensive background in designing and implementing gender-sensitive development projects. Dr Gopal’s work with the World Bank spans two decades (1991-2011), where she led gender and community-driven development initiatives across Africa and Asia, including in countries like South Africa, India, and Tanzania.

Her tenure as Gender and Child Advisor for the Government of Kerala (2013-2016) was marked by the preparation of a comprehensive gender action plan and multi-departmental monitoring system. Dr. Gopal has also contributed to the development of standards of care for government homes and conducted training on gender-aware project design and implementation.

In addition to her policy work, Dr. Gopal has served as a Lead Evaluation Specialist for the World Bank’s Independent Evaluation Group and has consulted for the Asian Development Bank and International Fund for Agricultural Development. As the Managing Director of Ekatha, a charitable trust, she supports the rehabilitation of survivors of sexual harassment and conducts training on laws protecting women’s rights.