VDMLaw · Rights · Responsible BusinessContact

Brazilian-Portuguese international lawyer · Regional policy specialist · Programme leader

Law and policy, put to work.

I work on justice, human rights and responsible development across regions. My role is often to take a broad commitment—access to justice, human rights due diligence, institutional reform—and help turn it into a strategy, a partnership and a programme that can work in practice.

View selected workRead my profile ↓
Victoria de Mello beside the United Nations emblem
Victoria de MelloOfficial UNDP profile

In brief

Current work and background

I am a UNDP regional policy specialist and international lawyer. I currently advise country teams across Africa on rule of law, people-centred justice, security and human rights, building on earlier regional roles in Asia-Pacific and Latin America and the Caribbean.

Current role
Regional Policy Specialist · UNDP Africa
Areas of work
Justice · Human rights · Governance · Responsible business
Regional experience
Africa · Asia-Pacific · Latin America and the Caribbean
Languages
Portuguese · English · Spanish · French
01Profile

A field-to-policy career

I work where law, policy and delivery meet.

My work is about making public institutions, policy and development programmes more responsive to people’s rights and lived experience.

I move between legal and policy analysis, programme design and the day-to-day work of building agreement among institutions with different mandates and interests. On any given assignment, that can mean reviewing a country programme, helping a team frame a funding proposal, advising on a national policy process, facilitating a difficult regional discussion or editing a strategy until it says clearly what will change and how.

My substantive work spans rule of law, access to justice, human rights, business and human rights, environmental justice, transitional justice, women, peace and security, and civic participation. I am particularly interested in the places where these fields overlap—for example, how environmental harm reaches courts and communities, how responsible investment connects with remedy, or how formal and informal justice systems can serve people better.

I have worked inside regional hubs, country offices and global networks. That experience has made me attentive to both institutional politics and practical delivery: who needs to be involved, where a proposal is likely to fail, what country colleagues can realistically carry, and how to keep a regional strategy useful beyond the launch meeting.

People-centred justiceRule of lawBusiness & human rightsHuman rights due diligenceEnvironmental justiceTransitional justiceAccess to remedyWomen, peace & securityProgramme strategyCoalition building
Victoria de Mello addressing the Third High-Level Meeting of Women Leaders in Africa
Regional leadership

Addressing the Third High-Level Meeting of Women Leaders in Africa.

02Selected work

Programmes, policy and partnerships

What the work looks like in practice.

Selected parts of a career across regional policy, country support, programme leadership and public engagement.

Africa · Current portfolio

Justice, rule of law and human rights across Africa

I advise UNDP country teams on crisis-sensitive rule of law, justice, security and human rights work—from the early framing of a programme through to funding, implementation and quality assurance. The role calls for both a regional view and close attention to what will work in a particular country and political context.

My current work includes people-centred justice, legal empowerment and customary and informal justice systems; transitional justice linked to African Union policy and country processes; and environmental justice, including the role of courts and justice institutions in responding to climate and environmental harm.

I also shape regional strategy, theories of change and results frameworks, and help country teams turn broad policy commitments into practical programmes that can attract funding and survive contact with operational reality.

Victoria de Mello speaking on a UNDP Frontline Talks panel on building peace and justice in a world of multidimensional crises
UNDP Frontline Talks · Building peace and justice in multidimensional crises
  • People-centred justice
  • Environmental justice
  • Transitional justice
  • Crisis response
Related work
UNDP global team profile Environmental justice in practice Access to justice in Zanzibar

Africa · Regional platform

Building a regional approach to business and human rights

I was recruited to establish UNDP’s business and human rights work in Africa and turn a set of country-level opportunities into a coherent regional offer. That meant adapting lessons from Asia-Pacific while grounding the work in African institutions, policy debates and the experience of affected communities.

The portfolio brings together National Action Plans, human rights due diligence, access to remedy, responsible investment and corporate accountability. I have advised governments, national human rights institutions, civil society, business and UN colleagues, while building partnerships with the African Union, ACHPR, NANHRI, OHCHR, UNICEF and regional organisations.

A central part of the work has been creating spaces where these actors can address difficult issues together. This includes helping establish the Africa Business and Human Rights Forum and producing regional research and guidance that country teams can actually use.

Victoria de Mello presenting Portuguese-language business and human rights guidance at a UNDP training
Business and human rights capacity-building for Portuguese-speaking partners
  • Business & human rights
  • Due diligence
  • Access to remedy
  • Regional partnerships
Related work
Africa Business & Human Rights Forum Continental baseline assessment Inside the Africa forum

Asia-Pacific · Regional programming

From a new programme to a multi-country portfolio

In Bangkok, I joined the pioneer team behind UNDP’s first regional business and human rights programme. I coordinated work across country offices, supported programme design and donor engagement, and worked with governments and partners on National Action Plans, baseline assessments and the practical application of the UN Guiding Principles.

The substance ranged from labour rights, land and environmental impacts to gender, supply chains and protection of human rights defenders. I helped organise regional and national forums, supported civil-society participation in policy processes and facilitated peer learning among governments, including through ASEAN-linked dialogue.

Alongside the responsible-business portfolio, I worked on women, peace and security, youth participation and civic space. Those roles continue to shape how I approach policy: institutions matter, but so do the people who need to be able to use, question and influence them.

Victoria de Mello speaking at the inaugural UN South Asia Forum on Business and Human Rights in New Delhi
Inaugural UN South Asia Forum on Business and Human Rights · New Delhi
  • Regional programmes
  • UN Guiding Principles
  • Civic space
  • Women, peace & security
Related work
Regional forum report South–South peer learning Gender equality in corporate leadership

Earlier work · Global and Latin America

Participation, youth leadership and sustainable development

Before specialising in regional human rights policy, I led youth and community programmes across Latin America and helped connect a global volunteer movement with the emerging Sustainable Development Goals. I managed country leaders, coached distributed teams and worked with UN, civil-society and business partners on programmes rooted in local communities.

My earlier work also included civil-society participation and environmental governance at UNEP headquarters, youth outreach with UNICEF Portugal, and volunteer roles in community development and international policy processes.

It gave me an operational grounding that I still draw on: how strategies are interpreted by country teams, why partnerships need more than formal agreements, and what it takes to keep a programme useful across very different contexts.

Victoria de Mello addressing a regional meeting of women leaders in Africa
Regional leadership and public engagement
  • Sustainable development
  • Youth participation
  • Team leadership
  • Community programmes
Related work
Youth and future generations at COP23
03Experience

Career, selected

A career built across regions and institutions.

The roles below show how the different strands of my work—law, human rights, programme leadership and participation—came together.

UNDP Regional Service Centre for Africa · Addis Ababa

Regional Policy Specialist · Rule of Law, Security, Justice and Human Rights

I lead regional strategy and provide policy and programme advice to UNDP country teams across Africa. The portfolio covers justice-sector reform, legal empowerment, security and human rights, crisis and fragility, transitional justice, environmental justice and responsible business conduct.

UNDP Tanzania · Dar es Salaam and Zanzibar

Access to Justice Advisor · Concurrent detail assignment

I led the development of a framework for strengthening community courts and other pathways to justice, combining institutional analysis, consultation and practical recommendations for people-centred service delivery.

UNDP Regional Service Centre for Africa · Addis Ababa

Regional Human Rights Specialist · Business and Human Rights Lead

I established and scaled UNDP’s regional business and human rights offer in Africa, advised national and regional institutions, led partnerships and fundraising, and helped create the Africa Business and Human Rights Forum.

UNDP Latin America and the Caribbean · Remote / Panama City

Business and Human Rights Specialist · Concurrent detail assignment

I supported country offices and a new Caribbean initiative, wrote guidance on grievance mechanisms and access to remedy, and delivered regional training for government, business, civil-society and UN partners.

UNDP Bangkok Regional Hub · Bangkok and Islamabad

Regional Business and Human Rights Coordinator / Analyst

I coordinated a multi-country Asia-Pacific programme, supported policy processes across the region and led work with governments, ASEAN, civil society, national human rights institutions, companies and UN partners.

UNDP Bangkok Regional Hub · Bangkok

Women, Peace and Security · Youth, Human Rights and Civic Engagement

I worked with women peacebuilders, youth activists, technology companies and civil-society organisations on peacebuilding, civic space, inclusion, online freedom and young people’s role in the 2030 Agenda.

AIESEC · Rotterdam, Panama City and São Paulo

Global Head of Programmes / Regional Director and earlier regional roles

I led regional strategy and programme performance across Latin America and the Caribbean, managed country directors and built partnerships around youth leadership, volunteering, community development and the Sustainable Development Goals.

UNEP · Nairobi / Anglo American · Johannesburg

Environmental governance and responsible business

At UNEP, I supported global civil-society participation in environmental governance and the post-2015 agenda. At Anglo American, I worked on local procurement and responsible-business issues in extractive operations.

04Public work

Writing, speaking and convening

Research and conversations that travel.

I write and speak to make technical work clearer, connect experiences across countries and bring policy discussions closer to practice.

Spotlight Reports on Business and Human Rights in Africa

Lead author · UNDP

A Baseline Assessment on Business and Human Rights in Africa

Lead editor · UNDP

African Regional Forum on People-Centred Justice

Organiser and moderator

Regional Dialogue on Gender Equality in Corporate Leadership

Moderator · UNDP

Intergenerational Inquiry: youth and future generations in climate action

Speaker · UNV / COP23

Caminhos Globais

Podcast guest · RTP Mundo

05Foundation

Education, languages and professional service

Legal training, interdisciplinary practice.

Education

MA, Human Rights & International Law

University of London · Distinction. Advanced study in international law, human rights, humanitarian law, international criminal justice and equality.

Bachelor of Laws (LLB)

Universidade Federal da Bahia. Concentration in human rights and international law.

Global Skills, Sustainability & Regeneration

Ubiquity University. Interdisciplinary study of systems thinking, sustainable development, leadership and social impact.

Languages

Portuguese

Native

English & Spanish

Full professional proficiency

French

Professional working proficiency

I have lived and worked in Brazil, Portugal, Kenya, South Africa, Panama, the Netherlands, Thailand, Pakistan and Ethiopia.
Professional service

Stakeholder Advisory Council

Independent Recourse Mechanism · African Development Bank. Strategic guidance to an accountability and grievance-redress mechanism serving project-affected people and communities.

Brazilian Bar Association

Member · licence maintained on inactive status while serving with the United Nations.

06Contact

Get in touch

Let’s talk.

If you would like to discuss justice, human rights, responsible business, public policy or regional programme leadership, you can reach me by email or LinkedIn.

Email VictoriaLinkedIn