Irene Belmonte

She brings extensive experience in all phases of program management, from identification and design to implementation, monitoring and evaluation, budgeting, auditing, and reporting. Her thematic focus spans the prevention and countering extremism and violent extremism, as well as related areas including employment, entrepreneurship and incomes generation, education, women’s economic and political rights, prevention of gender-based violence, food security, rural development in post conflict contexts, and gender mainstreaming.

At Hedayah, Irene manages all aspects of the STRIVE Global program, funded by the European Union and has been active since 2015, as well as relationships and projects with governments, CSOs grantees, and EU delegations in 16 countries.

Prior to joining Hedayah, Irene held roles with the Red Cross, the Spanish Agency for International Cooperation and Development, the Spanish Center for Social Research (CIS), the Spanish Ministry of Industry, and the European Commission. She also has private sector experience in logistics and strategic human resources management, in addition to working with several other entities and companies. Additionally, Irene served as Country Representative for the Spanish NGO Paz y Desarrollo in Timor Leste for four years, with a particular focus on the designing and implementation of National Strategies for the prevention of domestic gender-based violence and rural development.

Irene holds a B.Sc. in Sociology with the specialization in quantitative and qualitative empirical social research techniques; a postgraduate Advanced Study Diploma in International Relations; Diplomas in Conflict Prevention and Risk Management from Complutense University of Madrid; a Diploma in Cooperation for Development from Autónoma University of Madrid; and a Master’s degree in Human Resources Strategic Management from EOI Business School in Madrid, Spain.