Laura Phelps

Laura Phelps is a highly experienced social protection expert with experience in adaptive and shock-responsive social protection, system strengthening, and nutrition-sensitive approaches. She has over 24 years of experience in fragile and conflict affected and low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). Laura has worked in all phases of the programme cycle across sectors, in both complex humanitarian emergencies and protracted crises, including those exacerbated by climate change. She has experience in Africa, central, south, and east Asia, the Middle East and eastern Europe.

Laura has been a key figure in recent global initiatives exploring the potential for linking humanitarian cash assistance with national social protection systems. Her contributions include providing technical assistance and collaboration with organisations such as FCDO, UNICEF, WFP, WB and the UN, leading strategies, visions, position papers, roadmaps and lessons learned studies, as well as developing guidance and tools. She primarily applies a qualitative research approach with some mixed methods research.

Laura's recent assignments include leading the STAAR research workstreams for OPM; developing a regional Social Protection Implementation Plan for the 17 countries under WFP Asia Pacific; capacity mapping of shock responsive social protection for WFP Southern Africa in Zimbabwe, Lesotho and Eswatini (which has led to the development of a SRSP government roadmap in Zimbabwe); and conducting research on Forecast Based Action in Bangladesh to strengthen response to annual floods in 2022. She leads Oxford Policy Management’s portfolio on adaptive and shock responsive social protection.