Robin Mearns is the Global Director of the Social Sustainability and Inclusion (SSI) Global Practice at the World Bank. Since joining the Bank in 1997, Robin has held various positions in Washington, DC, and in country offices in Africa, Latin America, East and South Asia, most recently as Practice Manager for Social Development/SSI in Africa and South Asia. He has led operations, policy dialogue and analytics in community and local development, as well as land and natural resource management. Robin also served as the first global lead on the social dimensions of climate change and as sector/program leader for sustainable development (then including infrastructure) in Southern Africa. Prior to joining the Bank, Robin spent a decade in research and teaching on environment and development policy at the Institute of Development Studies at the University of Sussex and the International Institute for Environment and Development in London. He holds master's and PhD degrees in geography from Cambridge University and a Master of Philosophy in Development Studies from the University of Sussex.
