Meet the facilitation team

Katy Barwise is the Senior Programme Manager in the secretariat of the United Nations Network on Migration in Geneva, where her role focuses on supporting the planning of governments, the UN system and stakeholders to implement the Global Compact for Safe, Orderly and Regular Migration.

Veronica Bertalot is the Project and Administrative Assistant in the secretariat of the United Nations Network on Migration in Geneva. Her role focuses on providing logistical, organizational and administrative assistance for efforts to support governments, the UN system and stakeholders to implement the Global Compact for Safe, Orderly and Regular Migration.

Tomas Ernst manages the Mainstreaming Migration into International Cooperation and Development Initiative at the IOM Regional Office in Brussels. Tomas and his team are responsible for supporting EU and EU Member States’ planning and coordination related to Migration & Sustainable Development and building technical partnerships with UN agencies related to migration mainstreaming.

Kristin Eitel is part of the Migration and Sustainable Development team at the International Organization for Migration (IOM), based in IOM Headquarters in Geneva. She helps lead the team’s engagement with the UN Network on Migration (UNNM), serving as Coordinator for UNNM working groups at global level charged with developing tools and guidance to implement the GCM.

Fátima Fernández coordinates the Human Mobility agenda of UCLG. She facilitates the implementation of the Lampedusa Charter and the representation of local and regional governments in global migration and displacement governance. Former research fellow at the European Institute for the Mediterranean and the University of Santiago de Compostela. PhD in Regional Development and Economic Integration.

Franz Fischer works as Associate Migration Policy & Liaison Officer for the UN Network on Migration Secretariat in Geneva. He supports the global Network functions, co-coordinates the workstreams and liaises with regional and country networks.  Previously, he monitored and evaluated the UNSDCF implementation for one year as Development Effectiveness Officer for the UN RCO in Jakarta.

Silvia Gómez Moradillo works as the Global Advocacy Coordinator of the International Detention Coalition (IDC) and is part of the co-leads of the UNNM Workstream on Alternatives to Detention. She previously worked with UNHCR in Malta as a focal point for the Syrian emergency, serving as a member of the first response and protection team and collaborating closely with national actors.

Erick Hernández serves as UNDP Human Mobility Coordinator in Mexico and is member of the UNDP Global Human Mobility Team. Prior to this, he was Director of Mi Casa es Puebla in Los Angeles, California (2019-2020). From 2009 to 2013 he worked for the Mexican Government as Advisor, Deputy Director and Director of International Affairs at the National Migration Institute.

Anders Lisborg is Senior Knowledge Management Specialist in the UNNM Secretariat in Geneva. He has 20 years of professional experience in migration management and international development cooperation. Previously, he has worked in Asia, Africa and Europe for various UN and international agencies, and as a government migration policy advisor. Anders has authored several publications on migration management, smuggling and trafficking.

Monika Peruffo works as Migration and Development Specialist with the Recovery Solution & Human Mobility Team of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), covering UNDP's engagement in the United Nations Network on Migration and the Global Forum on Migration and Development. Previously, she collaborated with IOM, UNICRI and civil society organizations in Africa, Asia, and Latin America. She earned her PhD in Sociology of Law from the University of Milan with a research on criminal justice.

Marcia Porras is Migration Policy Officer in the secretariat of the United Nations Network on Migration in Geneva. She plays a key role in supporting the engagement of governments, coordinating the workstream on GCM indicators, and liaising with regional networks. She also served as a seconded advisor to the Office of the President of the 76th Session of the UN General Assembly, where she coordinated the organization of the IMRF in 2022.

Rita Sá Machado is Health Policy advisor (Health and Migration Programme, WHO). After concluding her medical specialization in Public Health, Rita served as the head of Epidemiology and Statistics at the Directorate-General of Health of Portugal, where she led the national work on surveillance and health monitoring and was the chief national epidemiologist during the early stages of the pandemic.

Paul Tacon has worked as a Labour Migration Specialist with the Labour Migration Branch of the International Labour Organization in Geneva since January 2021. His work covers ILO’s engagement on multilateral and interagency processes on international migration including ILO’s engagement in the Executive Committee of the United Nations Network on Migration and the Global Forum on Migration and Development. Prior to this he worked with IOM and the United Nations Regional Commissions for Western Asia and Asia and the Pacific.

Laurel Townhead is the Human Rights and Refugees Representative for the Quaker United Nations Office (Geneva). She is an advocate, analyst and facilitator with 20 years’ experience working for stronger human rights standards and implementation at national and international levels with a current focus on human rights-based migration governance.

Dr. Simonida Kacarska is the Director of the European Policy Institute (EPI) in Skopje. She has more than 17 years of practitioner and research experience related to the political transformation and European integration of the Balkans with a focus on national minority policies. Her publication record includes both academic and policy related research.

Kanako Mabuchi is the Head of the UN Resident Coordinator’s Office in Azerbaijan. She is a strategic planner and a change manager, with 18 years of experience working for the UN system in humanitarian, development and transition settings. Prior to Azerbaijan, she served in Timor-Leste, Zimbabwe, Myanmar, and Egypt, as well as in HQs of the UN Population Fund and the UN World Food Programme.

Oxana Maciuca is the Regional Human Mobility Adviser at UNDP Istanbul Regional Hub. She supports Country Offices on all issues pertaining to human mobility, migration and displacement. She has over 14 years of experience in the field of migration and socio-economic development, with a focus on policy making, local socio-economic development, diaspora engagement, remittances, and reintegration.

Aslak Solumsmoen heads the Inter-Agency and Partnership stream of UNHCR’s Regional Bureau for Europe. He coordinates the inter-agency refugee response to the war in Ukraine as per the Regional Refugee Response Plan. He co-chairs the IBC LMPDR together with UNDP and IOM. Aslak has extensive operational experience from the field, including as Head of Office for UNHCR in Aleppo, Kharkiv and Erbil.

Amr Taha is the Senior Regional Liaison and Policy Officer for the IOM Regional Office for South East Europe, East Europe and Central Asia. Previously, he served as Head of IOM's Mission to Egypt, managing and overseeing multiple projects at country and regional level across the entire migration spectrum.

Lauranne Van Asch works for the IOM Regional Office for South East Europe, East Europe and Central Asia. She supports IOM Missions in GCM implementation, follow-up and review processes. She also supported the establishment and further operationalisation of the Regional UN Network on Migration for Europe and Central Asia, as well as numerous country networks in the region.

Ferran Forcada is the Regional Programme Officer for the DCO Latin America and the Carribbean Office. He promotes the use of a triple nexus approach in planning and programming documents including the CCAs and CFs. He also works part-time at the regional bureau of WFP in Latin America on strategic stakeholder engagement and provides advice on emerging issues regarding the UNDS reform.

Ericka Guevara is the Regional Liaison and Policy Assistant for the IOM Regional Office for Central America, North America and the Caribbean. She has been a Member of the UN Network on Migration in LAC since its establishment, and has supported the GCM regional reviews, IMRF preparations, and GCM engagement with the RCM, among others.

Maria Olave is the Coordinator of the Lazos Project on socio-economic integration of migrants in Latin America and the Caribbean for ILO. She has strong experience in project management, policy advocacy and communication campaigns.

Luis Carlos Rodríguez de la Cruz works as Forced Migration and Refugee Officer for Consultancy for Human Rights and Displacement. He has 12 years of experience working from civil society in advocacy processes on forced displacement and refugee dynamics in Colombia and Latin America. 

Johanna Saenz is the UNDP Human Mobility Regional Advisor for Latin America and The Caribbean for the UNDP Regional Hub in Panama. She has 13 years of experience on human mobility working for the Colombian government and 3 years at UNDP. She has been a member of the Regional UN Network on Migration since it began.

Ezequiel Texidó is the Regional Policy and Liaison Officer for the IOM Regional Office for South America. He has strong experience in migration research, with more than 20 years of experience as an academic giving course on this topic. He has previous professional experience in other international organizations and in the public sector of Argentina.

Pamela Villalobos is currently working at Latin American and Caribbean Demographic Centre (CELADE) in population and development matters, including the regional review process of the GCM and the set-up of a mechanism for the participation of civil society. She has over 20 years of experience in public policy, including a decade as a gender advisor for the Chilean Government.

Dr. Ernest Dabire is the Regional WHO AFRO Focal Point for Health and Migration and Team Lead for the Response to health emergencies for the WHO AFRO Dakar Hub. He is currently coordinating the EMR Team in the WHO Emergency Hub in Dakar Senegal, which is covering 27 countries in West and Central Africa.

Andrea Heath-London is the Coordination and Development Planning Specialist at the UN Development Coordination Office – Regional Office for Africa – Ethiopia. She is an ardent capacity development specialist with a love for knowledge transfer and skill-building, particularly in the field of Results Based Management.

Matlotleng Matlou was born in South Africa and grew up largely across Africa and England, making him a Pan-Africanist through practical experiences, studies and work. Thus, he speaks from the heart - former exile, social scientist, researcher and activist whose doctoral thesis is on Botswana's Refugee Policy. Former South African government migration and tourism official, currently UNHCR staff at South Africa Multi-Country Office.

Nimo Mohamed Ali is the Executive Director of Candle of Hope Foundation in Nairobi- Kenya and Hargeysa in Somalia. She has 15+ years of programmes management experience advocating for gender equality, child rights, and protection for vulnerable migrants in the UK, East Africa and Horn of Africa.

Wonesai Workington Sithole is the IOM Regional Policy and Liaison Officer for the IOM Regional Office in Southern Africa, responsible for policy development and advisory matters for 15 Member States. He has been working with IOM for over 17 years, with extensive experience in managerial positions. Before joining IOM, Wonesai worked for the WFP and for NGOs in humanitarian settings in Zimbabwe.

Stephane Amani is the Regional Specialist on livelihood and economic recovery in Africa of UNDP based in Dakar. He is a Global Policy Network member and human mobility in the Western and Central Africa region. He has more than 20 years of strong and useful experience with UNDP at Country office and regional level and other relevant organizations.

Edlira de Andrés is serving at the IOM Regional Office for West and Central Africa, and she is responsible for the coordination and strengthening of IOM’s policy and programmatic coherence in the Sahel, in line with the UNISS and other regional strategic frameworks. Edlira was previously based at the IOM Regional Office for East Africa and the Horn in Nairobi, serving as the Special Advisor to the Regional Director.

Charlotte Campo is human rights officer at the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights – Regional Office for West Africa based in Dakar, Senegal, where she is the focal point for human rights and migration. She supports the Regional UN Network on Migration, co-led by OHCHR and IOM since 2019, and several national UN Networks on Migration in the region.

Sarah Carl is a German Bar Lawyer who specialized in international and human rights law in Germany and the UK. She works as Project Manager and Regional Policy and Liaison Officer at the IOM Regional Office for West and Central Africa in Dakar, where she also manages a MIRAC project supporting the Network of Legal Experts on Migration in West and Central Africa and its set-up.

Bubacarr Singhateh is the Migration Officer for the Sahel Region for International Federation of the Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC). He has 24 years of volunteering experience working in the humanitarian field with the Red Cross and has engaged and contributed to many GCM and IMRF-related processes at all levels since 2017.

Sarah Badr is the MENA advisor for the Migration Youth and Children Platform, based in Egypt. Sarah and her team led the first Global Compact on Migration (GCM) consultations in the Arab region. She has been the World Youth Forum’s official spokesperson since 2017.

Tanja Dedovic is the Thematic Specialist for Labor Mobility and Social Inclusion for the IOM Regional Office in Cairo, Egypt. She has 26 years of working with IOM on Labour Mobility, Social Inclusion, Migration and Development.

Ayman Mohareb has developed a professional career of almost 22 years of working experience in UN agencies -including UNHCR and UNICEF- and International NGOs. He has been working with UNICEF Egypt for the last 15 years, of which more than 7 were at the Child protection in Emergencies Programs and Children on the Move. He is a certified trainer at the country level and MENA region’s level.

Martina Salini is the Conflict Prevention and Peacebuilding Programme Analyst and Human Mobility focal point for UNDP Regional Bureau for Arab States Regional Hub in Amman. She previously worked for the Geneva International Centre for Humanitarian Demining for three years. She holds an MA in Law from the Bocconi University of Milan and an LL.M. in IHL and Human Rights from the Geneva Academy.

Misato Yuasa is a Regional Liaison and Policy Officer at the IOM Regional Office for the Middle East and North Africa. Over the past eight years with IOM out of her 16 years of professional career, she held leadership, coordination and programmatic positions in Lao People’s Democratic Republic as Head of Office, IOM Office to the UN in New York, and IOM Somalia Coordination Office in Kenya.

Nilim Baruah is the Senior Migration Specialist at the ILO Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific. He has been Chief Technical Adviser of ILO technical cooperation labour migration projects in Southeast Asia and Eastern Europe/Central Asia and has headed IOM’s Labour Migration Division in Geneva from 2002-2007. He has authored several publications on labour migration, recruitment and remittances.

Sebastian Boll is a Migration & Displacement Specialist at UNDP’s Bangkok Regional Hub, providing technical advice on human mobility to countries across the Asia-Pacific. He is UNDP’s focal point for the regional UN Network on Migration.

Geertrui Lanneau is the Senior Regional Specialist on Labour Mobility and Social Inclusion for the IOM Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific. Geertrui has over 15 years of professional experience in the UN System. She has worked for UNDP and IOM in Africa, Europe and Asia. Her main areas of expertise are labour migration, migrant inclusion and the linkages between migration and development.

Eshani Ruwanpura is the Child Protection Specialist for the UNICEF Regional Office for South Asia. Her experience includes working with young people on their sexual and reproductive health and rights; providing comprehensive sexuality education to adolescents and youth; addressing gender norms and harmful practices and alcohol and substance use by young people.

Narissa Seegulam is the UNSDCF Partnership and Programme Officer at the DCO Regional Office Asia Pacific. She has more than 15 years-experience with the UN in the areas of development coordination, strategic planning and partnerships, communications and advocacy, humanitarian coordination and recovery.

Bariyah is a former migrant worker and she has been organizing and advocating for the rights of women migrant workers since 2010. She is currently working with the International Domestic Workers Federation (IDWF) as a program officer in the Asia Region. She organizes migrant domestic workers in countries of destination, provides training and technical support for migrant domestic worker's unions.