Paula Sevilla Núñez

Researcher (housing justice)

Telephone: +44 (0)20 3463 7399

Languages: English, Spanish (fluent), French (fluent), Portuguese (basic), Swahili (basic)

Paula is passionate about tackling inequality and building equitable and peaceful societies through inclusive urban policy. She is also committed to developing a more effective multilateral system.

She specialises in conducting applied policy analysis on issues such as housing inequality and financialisation, local governance, and effective multilateral action for more sustainable, fairer and caring cities. In her work, she facilitates multi-stakeholder engagements to catalyse impactful partnerships for sustainable development at the local, national and international level.

Expertise

Housing; inequality and exclusion; governance; multilateralism; international cooperation.

Before IIED

Pathfinders program officer, inequality and exclusion, NYU Centre on International Cooperation

Education

Masters of urban planning (international development specialisation), New York University Robert F. Wagner School for Public Service
Bachelor of arts, international relations (honours) and public policy, New York University College of Arts and Science

Current work

Convening the Hub for Housing Justice, in partnership with key networks of civil society groups and academic institutions, as a member of the hub’s secretariat.
Researching the role of community-led housing in addressing the global housing crisis, including the factors that promote or hinder its impact and scalability.
Exploring the linkages between extreme urban inequality, housing financialisation, and state capture in various contexts, including in the Democratic Republic of Congo.
Supporting IIED’s housing-related collaboration with multilateral agencies, such as United Cities and Local Governments (UCLG) and UN-Habitat.

Paula is also part of IIED’s efforts to engage with Majority World philanthropy to address global funding challenges and unjust power dynamics in multilateral spaces. She is helping convene partnerships with philanthropy and civil society networks around processes such as the G20 and the Financing for Development Forum to advance social justice in global financing conversations.