Shaila Shahid

Shaila Shahid is a visionary leader in disaster risk reduction (DRR), climate resilience, and gender justice with over two decades of experience influencing policies and programs across Asia, Africa, and the Pacific. An environmental lawyer and certified Project Management Professional, she currently serves as Climate Resilience & DRR Specialist at Miyamoto International (USA), advancing resilient infrastructure, gender equality, and climate-smart urban systems. Her work focuses on inclusive, risk-informed planning, and community engagement.

She is the Chair of the Board of GenderCC, Women for Climate Justice. She serves on the Advisory Boards of the UNDRR Stakeholder Engagement Mechanism and the Urban Disaster Risk Hub – Tomorrow’s Cities. Shahid received the Mary Fran Myers Award (2019), Natural Hazards Center, and the WIN DRR Leadership Award (2023), UNDRR. She is also a World Wildlife Fund Fellow and a Charles Wallace Fellow (British Council, 2018–2019), and was Lead Discussant at the United Nations High-Level Political Forum on Sustainable Development Goal 11 in 2018.

Shahid contributed to Bangladesh’s Disaster Management Act (2012), Water Act (2013), the From Vulnerability to Resilience Framework, National Adaptation Plan, and Water, Sanitation and Hygiene climate-resilient guidelines. She has led transformative initiatives, including the $60M Lives & Livelihoods project, $10M Water, Infrastructure and Supply Efficiency, and the Green Climate Fund’s Somalia National Adaptation Plan. As former Chief Operating Officer of the Department of Public Health and Environment’s Disaster & Climate Change Unit, she advanced emergency responses, Rohingya support, and urban resilience. She continues to champion justice-based, gender-responsive, and data-driven solutions to address the Disaster Risk Reduction response. And solutions that reflect the voices of the most vulnerable while driving systemic change.