Meet MOPAN

Ms. Laura Aghilarre represents Italy’s chairmanship of MOPAN in 2023. Ms. Aghilarre has been the Minister Plenipotentiary and Deputy Director General for Development Cooperation at the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation since 2020. Previously, she served as Head of the Bureau of the Directorate General for Development Cooperation (2017-2020), the Deputy Permanent Representative of Italy to the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) (2015-2017) and the Development Assistance Committee and OECD Development Centre delegate of Italy to the OECD (2013-2015). Since she began her diplomatic career in 1996, Ms. Agilharre has also served as the Alternate Representative of Italy to the International Civil Aviation Organization; as Deputy Consul General in New York, and as a Counselor in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Rome. Ms. Aghilarre holds a degree in Political Science and graduated summa cum laude from La Sapienza University.

Previously the Head of the Development Finance Architecture and Global Governance unit in the OECD’s Development Co-operation Directorate, she implemented new strategic orientations of the policy work on standard setting, benchmarking and analysis of the changing development finance landscape and built new partnerships, including with the UN, in the run-up to the 2015 Third International Conference on Financing for Development and the adoption of 2030 Agenda on Sustainable Development. Prior to joining the OECD in 2007, Ms Steensen held several positions within the Danish Ministry of Foreign Affairs’ bilateral development co-operation branch (Danida) and with international consultancy firms COWI and NIRAS. Ms Steensen, a Danish and Togolese national, holds a Master’s Degree in Mathematical Economics from the University of Copenhagen (1998). Email contact:Suzanne.steensen@mopanonline.org