Solita Monsod is a professor of economics at the School of Economics, University of the Philippines, and the chair of the Philippine Human Development Network, an NGO that does research advocacy on sustainable human development. Monsod served as minister of economic planning in the Philippine Government from 1986 to 1989. She was named Cabinet Secretary of the Year in 1988 and 1989. Monsod has served on high-level committees such as the United Nations Committee for Development Planning. She is a columnist for a major newspaper and a commentator for a television news program in the Philippines. Monsod is a member of the IFPRI Board of Trustees.