Silke Handley

Silke Handley is a leading expert in migration, displacement, and the humanitarian‑development‑peace nexus, with over two decades of senior leadership and advisory experience across UN agencies and international NGOs. She has worked at the forefront of crisis response in Ethiopia and Ukraine and advised governments and multilateral partners across Africa, the Middle East, Eastern Europe, and Central Asia, consistently connecting humanitarian action with recovery, resilience, and durable solutions. 

Her expertise covers mixed migration, internal displacement, and socio‑economic inclusion, with a proven record in policy advisory and the management of multi‑sector programmes integrating livelihoods, social protection, climate adaptation, and governance reform.  

Silke has held senior management roles within UNDP, IOM, UNOPS, CARE, and other agencies to strengthen inter‑agency coordination and evidence‑based planning, and government capacity in fragile and climate‑affected contexts. She has led strategic positioning, recovery planning, and facilitated complex inter‑agency processes that align durable solutions with resilience and peacebuilding agendas. 

Her approach blends rigorous analysis with practical facilitation, ensuring coherence between humanitarian response and longer‑term development frameworks. A German national, Silke works in English, Russian, French, and German, with proficiency in additional languages. She holds dual Master’s degrees in Central Asian and Eastern European Studies.