Ms. Saphakdy has been a gender and development specialist at ADB’s Lao PDR Resident Mission since July 2009. She obtained her master’s in Social Science in the field of gender and development and PhD in Gender in Aquaculture and Aquatic Resources Management from Asian Institute of Technology, Bangkok. She has worked for other international groups and contributed her expertise to gender and development projects since 1997. She also has years of experience in the sustainable use and community-based management of natural resources.