Carmen Silvestre

Carmen Silvestre joined the Open Society Institute–Brussels in August 2008. She is responsible for EU policies on Africa, developing advocacy strategies on specific country situations and on the Joint Africa-EU Strategy in collaboration with other parts of the OSI network.

Before joining the Open Society Institute, Silvestre was a press officer at the EU office of Amnesty International. Previously she was a field researcher with the Africa division of Human Rights Watch, based in Brussels. She developed research and advocacy on freedom of the media and housing rights, often in collaboration with national partners.

Silvestre served ten years with the Portuguese diplomatic service. Her assignments included a position in the cabinet of the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs and a term at the Permanent Mission to the UN in New York. She participated in the UN negotiations that led to the independence of East Timor and served as an assistant to the Special Representative of the Secretary General in that country. Before taking a break from the foreign ministry she undertook an LLM in international human rights law, with distinction, and has published articles on several international affairs issues.