Steve Jones, who has passed away at age 77, spent his career working on humanitarian and development initiatives across South Asia and the Pacific region. Born in London to two teachers, he pursued higher education in geography at Bristol University before working briefly as an economist in the aviation sector. He later studied anthropology at Cambridge University, where he became involved with Operation Omega, an organization that provided humanitarian assistance during Bangladesh’s 1971 conflict with Pakistan.
This early experience shaped Jones’s professional trajectory as a consultant economist and project planner. His work took him to various regions, including the Solomon Islands from 1984 to 1986, where he conducted research on smallholder agriculture and post-cyclone recovery efforts. In 1989, he joined the World Bank to develop flood management strategies for Bangladesh. Between 1992 and 2006, he worked extensively with the Department for International Development, focusing on rural poverty alleviation programs in India. He was particularly recognized for leading cyclone recovery and reconstruction initiatives in Bangladesh for the World Bank in 2007, which resulted in the construction of cyclone shelters.
Jones transitioned into governance and advocacy roles, becoming a trustee and later chair of the Humanitarian Centre in Cambridge, an organization that subsequently evolved into the Centre for Global Equality. His life took a significant turn in the late 2000s when he was diagnosed with pulmonary fibrosis, a serious lung disease. Following a successful lung transplant, he redirected his energy toward patient advocacy and organizational leadership. He served as trustee, chair, and patient president of Action for Pulmonary Fibrosis, dedicating his remaining years to advancing diagnosis, care standards, and treatment options for affected individuals. He also held the position of president of the European Pulmonary Fibrosis Federation.
Jones married nurse Hilary Gretton in 1981 and is survived by his wife, three children—Rosie, David, and Euan—and seven grandchildren.
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