Agnese joined the RSO in March 2026 as Programme Manager for Countering People Smuggling. She has extensive experience in addressing trafficking in persons and the smuggling of migrants, with a strong focus on regional cooperation, border management, and capacity building.
Prior to joining the RSO, Agnese worked with the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) Regional Office for Eastern Africa in Nairobi, focusing on maritime crime, and most recently with UNODC in Haiti as Programme Officer on trafficking in persons and smuggling of migrants. She also served with the International Organization for Migration (IOM) in Geneva, Djibouti, Burkina Faso, and Kenya, supporting migration governance and protection initiatives across diverse operational contexts.
Throughout her career, Agnese has worked closely with governments and law enforcement agencies to strengthen responses to transnational crime, delivering technical assistance and fostering cross-border collaboration. She holds a Master’s degree in Law from Roma Tre University, as well as a postgraduate certificate in international relations and human rights and PRINCE2 certification in project management.
Recommended Podcast: The Outlaw Ocean, an investigative series exploring crime and exploitation at sea, including human trafficking and smuggling networks. Blending storytelling with in-depth reporting, it highlights the transnational nature of organized crime and governance gaps
Recommended Book: Somewhere: Stories of Migration by Women from Around the World by Lorna Jane Harvey is a collection of personal narratives from twenty women across the globe, exploring themes of identity, displacement, and belonging. Through diverse lived experiences, from forced displacement to voluntary migration, the book humanizes migration beyond policy discussions and statistics, offering powerful insights into the realities faced by women on the move. Agnese is also a contributor to this volume, reflecting her personal and professional engagement with migration issues.