Diana Rodriguez Franco

Diana Rodriguez Franco is the Special Advisor on Gender and Diversity to the President of the Inter-American Development Bank. Diana has nearly 20 years of experience in gender equality and human rights. She combines a robust academic foundation in sociology, economics, and law with practical experience to deliver transformative social change. She offers a proven track record in creating and driving women's rights and social justice initiatives in both governmental and non-governmental contexts in Latin America. 

As the former Secretary for Women's Affairs in the city of Bogota from 2020 to 2023, Diana conceived and implemented innovative and internationally awarded public policies to address the unpaid care burden (notably the “Care Blocks”), close gaps in employment opportunities, and respond to gender-based violence, in addition to mainstreaming a gender perspective throughout government and partnering with private sector stakeholders. Prior to that role, Diana was Deputy Director of Dejusticia (Center for Law, Justice, and Society), a non-profit research center that promotes human rights and the social rule of law in Colombia and Latin America, where she oversaw the divisions of economic justice, environmental justice, and international human rights.

A dual citizen of US and Colombia, Diana holds a PhD and Master’s degree in Sociology from Northwestern University and an Economics and Law (Juris Doctor) degree from Universidad de Los Andres in Bogota. She has been a lecturer at different universities and has published multiple scholarly books and articles. Diana is a member of the World Economic Forum's Global Future Council on the Future of the Care Economy and a Member of Room 5 on Gender Equality, part of the 17 Rooms Initiative of the Brookings Institution and The Rockefeller Foundation.