Francisco ‘Pancho’ Lara Jr.

Francisco Pancho Lara
Senior Peace and Conflict Adviser, Asia

Francisco ‘Pancho’ Lara Jr. is currently the peace and conflict adviser to International Alert and teaches at the University of the Philippines – Diliman.

Before joining International Alert, he served as Philippines Country Director of Voluntary Service Overseas, was the Policy Specialist in Agrarian Reform and Rural Development at the UN Food and Agriculture Organization in the Philippines, and subsequently served as Chief of Staff of the Cabinet Secretary of the Department of Agrarian Reform (1998–2001).

He is co-editor of the book, Out of the shadows: Violent conflict and the real economy of Mindanao (2013), and authored the book, Insurgents, clans and states: Political legitimacy and resurgent conflict in Muslim Mindanao, Philippines (2013).

He holds an undergraduate degree from the University of the Philippines and an MSc and PhD from the London School of Economics.