Francisco Freitas is a Portuguese sociologist who has been studying natural and technological risks and Geographical Information Systems (GIS) in the Universities of Coimbra and Aveiro. He attended also exchange programs in the Dutch Universities of Nijmegen and Utrecht. As a researcher, he has been collaborating in research projects together with renamed social scientists in the fields of international migrations, risk analysis and, ultimately, public policy and participation. His current interests are risk analysis and management, participatory budgeting, as well as research methods and techniques, with a particular focus on the activities of data georeferencing, spatial analysis and mapping.

Jane leads the social justice programme for Oxfam in Tanzania. She manages an innovative active citizenship programme, education advocacy, and Raising Her Voice in Tanzania.

Prior to joining Oxfam in 2007, Jane worked in the private sector on regeneration projects. She also worked for the Manchester Economic Development Agency, managing social inclusion programmes. She has worked in Liberia, Sierra Leone, Ghana, Nigeria, Sri Lanka, Australia, the UK and Tanzania. Her experience is in governance and accountability, advocacy, socially, inclusive economic development, fundraising, and project management.

Benjamin Goldfrank (PhD, Political Science, UC Berkeley 2002) joined the Whitehead School of Diplomacy
as an Assistant Professor in 2007 and was promoted to Associate Professor in 2011. His teaching and
research interests focus on the comparative analysis of Latin American politics, sub-national governments,
participatory budgeting and political parties. He is the author of Deepening Local Democracy in Latin America:
Participation, Decentralization and the Left (University Park: Pennsylvania State University Press, 2011) and
co-editor of The Left in the City: Participatory Local Governments in Latin America (London: Latin American
Bureau and Transnational Institute, 2004). He has also published several book chapters and articles, with
recent pieces in International Journal of Urban and Regional Research, Comparative Politics and Revista de Ciencia
Política (Chile). Prior to joining the Whitehead School, Dr. Goldfrank taught at the University of New Mexico
and was a visiting scholar at the Center for Latin American Studies at the University of California, Berkeley.

Alexandre Ciconello is a lawyer with Degree from São Paulo University, expert in Human Rights by the American University - Washington College of Law (Humphrey Program – Fulbright), and holds a Master's Degree in Political Sciences from the University of Brasilia. He works in the fields of: human rights, budget and public policies, public security and racial equality. Alexandre is in the board of the Brazilian Platform for Human Rights (Economic, Social, Cultural and Enviromental Rights) and is a member of the National Public Security Council (Conasp) as councilor.

Parul Sheth – Shaishav Trust - India 

Ms. Parul Sheth the Founder, Executive Director, and Managing Trustee of the Shaishav Trust, an NGO that works with disadvantaged children (www.shaishavchildrights.org). She is responsible for mission definition, development, and public relations, as well as for the supervision of ongoing work. She also liaises with other NGOs and governmental bodies, participating actively in their collaborative work for children’s rights and human rights in general in India. She has been particularly concerned with enhancing children’s ability to be involved as agents in decision-making about their lives and in the protection of their own rights. She has worked to reduce child labor, child marriage, child abuse, and exploitation through education and empowerment of children. Parul has worked as trainer and facilitator at national and international level on various issues related children’s rights. Ms. Sheth holds a Bachelor’s degree in Commerce and law as well as a Masters in social work from the University of Bombay.

Parul is an Ashoka Fellow and currently she got Fulbright Humphrey Fellowship and she is placed at University of Minnesota, Law School, Human Rights Center. She plans to critically analyze various Indian laws and policies from a Child Rights Based Approach. Parul also plans to study various Child/Youth Rights Participation Models within the United States. She hopes to network within the global children’s rights movement to form a coherent model of participation, rights, and responsibility-based education that can be used as a sustainable framework regardless of geographic location.

Yves Niyiragira is from Burundi. He lives in Nairobi, Kenya where he is co-editor of the African Union Monitor, an initiative of Fahamu-networks for social networks. Fahamu is a not for profit organisation whose mission is to support and nurture movements for social justice in Africa. He also sits on the board of Open Hands Studio, which is a non-profit organisation that partners with communities across the world to develop creative media projects and educational museum exhibits that nurture social justice. He has a keen interest in human rights and politics.