Speakers

Elke Löbel headed the task force on displacement and migration which was set up by the Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development in 2015 and which was merged with the Directorate she now heads in 2016. From 2011 to 2015, Elke Löbel was Head of the Division dealing with the Middle East (Jordan, Lebanon, Iraq, Syria, Palestinian territories, Yemen, Gulf States) and Egypt. Previously, she had been responsible for cooperation with political foundations and the churches, for budgetary affairs and for cooperation with South Asia (Sri Lanka and Nepal).

Before joining the Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development in 2006, Elke Löbel managed the Exposure and Dialogue Programme (EDP) Bonn, where she was responsible for developing and implementing exposure and dialogue programmes in Asia, Africa and Latin America in collaboration with the German parliament, the BMZ, GIZ, KfW and faith-based aid organisations.

From 1996 to 2000, she worked as an aid worker with the German Development Service, helping to set up the non-governmental women ́s organisation "Casa de la Mujer" in Bolivia.

Ms Löbel also has several years of experience in the area of municipal economic development. Whilst working on her PhD, she worked as a consultant, undertaking several missions abroad to Africa, Asia and Latin America. She has a son who was born in Santa Cruz, Bolivia, in 1996.

Academic background:

Doctoral thesis on the Socio-Economic Aspects relating to the Informal Mining Sector in Bolivia. Studies on structural adjustment programmes in the extractive sector. Master of Arts in: Economic Geography, International Technical and Economic Cooperation with Developing Countries at RWTH Aachen University, Germany.

Memberships:
From 2018 to 2022, member of the Advisory Board of the Centre for International Peace

Operations

Member since 2021 of the Selection Committee for the Expert Council (SVR) for Integration and Migration.

From 2010 to 2020, member in the capacity of "informed citizen" of the Committee on International Cooperation of the City of Bonn