Ms. Nizni Hans

Nizni holds a Master's in Social Work with a specialization in Urban and Rural Community Development from the Tata Institute of Social Sciences, Mumbai. She has worked in areas such as gender equality, social inclusion, social safeguards, governance, displacement, resettlement and rehabilitation, Indigenous empowerment, and climate action. Her professional experience includes working with the United Nations and the Asian Development Bank, where she contributed to initiatives on gender-responsive planning and budgeting, ending violence against women, and the resettlement and rehabilitation of displaced communities. Nizni has extensive experience collaborating with state governments

on policy formulation, research, and documentation, with a strong focus on developing and managing programs aligned with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). At Kalinga Institute of Social Sciences, Nizni has contributed to significant projects such as TIGRESS with Cambridge University, Project Chirag with the University of East Anglia, disaster risk management under JICA during the COVID-19 pandemic, and Empower Her with the U.S. Department of State, among others. She has also played a key role in organizing conferences, workshops, and the development of knowledge products. Nizni has authored several articles and reports for various platforms, sharing her expertise on gender-responsive governance and related topics.

Nizni’s contributions have earned her several prestigious fellowships, including the Chevening Gurukul Fellowship for Leadership and Excellence at the University of Oxford and the Professional Fellows Program sponsored by the U.S. Department of State. She has also participated in the International School on Climate Migration hosted by SOAS, University of London, and has been recognized as an expert by the UNESCO Inclusive Policy Lab.