Disrupting Bureaucracy: Equitable and Just Policymaking

Roquia Gonçalves Guerra Camara is a Ph.D. student in sociology at Aix-Marseille University, South of France, and a trainee in charge of the implementation of gender mainstreaming within a local metropolitan administration. She was born and raised in Lisbon, Portugal, to Bissau Guinean parents and has been living in Marseille since 2013. She is mainly interested in understanding how public policies can forge gender equality, positively impact the life of diverse people and foster their social emancipation, the state’s capacity on social regulation and the partnerships between the state and associations to ensure effective democracy. She has previously worked as an intern within public authorities‘ administrations to evaluate and work on the development of youth policies and partnerships between different public bodies and associations. She has also worked as a project’s manager in a local association to enable young people from low-income backgrounds who are often excluded from mobility programs to bcome part of exchanges, trainings, and volunteering missions abroad. She received a BSO from the University of Lisbon, an MSO and a Master’s degree on Social and Solidarity based Economy from Aix-Marseille University.

Nadia Hafedh is employed as an Executive Assistant for the Executive Director of Policy, Advocacy and Campaigns at Save the Children UK, whilst also running the South Yemeni Women’s Forum (SWYF) in Sandwell and the No Borders in Housing Working Group in the London Renters‘ Union. The thread that runs through Nadia’s work is that of dismantling oppressive structures and providing space for marginalized groups to organize and thrive against the systems that suppress their power. This work involves organizing communities, advocating in policy-making settings, and democratizing decision-making spaces to center the voices of those most acutely affected by its outcomes; with a particular focus on international development, housing justice, criminal justice and peacebuilding. Nadia also recently graduated with an M.A. in Postcolonial Culture and Global Policy at Goldsmiths, University of London, having previously obtained a B.A. in International Relations from Queen Mary, University of London.

Diana Zsoldos is a communications and logistics officer for international cooperation at the European Disability Forum in Brussels, Belgium. She joined the organization in 2020. Previously she worked in communications for the government at the European level and in global business. She is a purpose-driven creative, young professional. Diana is a serial volunteer currently working as an innovation officer at Shaping Horizons and has previously been a European Solidarity Corps Volunteer in Vienna, Austria. Since then, she is an advocate for volunteering and encourages international mobility. Her professional interest includes social innovation projects, impactful careers, and their connection to previous volunteering and mobility experiences. Her biggest dream is to become a social entrepreneur in the creative field, giving jobs to people who have disadvantaged backgrounds, hence she is mapping the policy background for social innovation. She is a regular attendee of the European Forum Alpbach and a member of several professional organizations. Diana received a B.A. from the University of Debrecen, Hungary.

Helia Nazari is the associate for program and engagement at Salzburg Global Seminar. In her role she supports program development and implementation in various areas such as Arts and Finance. She is also responsible for managing the day-to-day business of the Vice Presidents and Chief Operating Officers and the Salzburg-based senior management team. She works in close collaboration with the communications team to design and implement approaches to engage program networks and Fellows. Prior to joining the organization, she worked as campaign manager for Women Political Leaders based in Brussels where she organized workshops and conferences for more than 500 politicians focusing on increasing the number and influence of women in politics and business. Previously she worked as research assistant for ZOE, focusing on finding solutions for the climate crisis and social injustices. Helia holds a B.A. in politics and international relations from the University of Sheffield in the UK and an M.Sc. in social-ecological economics and policy from the Vienna University of Economics and Business (WU).

Lauri Heikkinen is a freelance disability policy and accessibility consultant. He has been involved in furthering the cause of international disability rights for the past 15 years, having worked on and around issues such as deinstitutionalization of people with disabilities, inclusive international mobility opportunities, disabled EU citizens‘ exercise of their right to freedom of movement and supporting grassroots disabled people’s organizations in the Global South through grants for small-scale projects. His interests include fostering active citizenship through inclusive decision-making, decent work, design thinking in the context of public policy, as well as transnational disability policy frameworks and instruments, particularly with regard to questions surrounding legal capacity and social autonomy in line with the UNCRPD. He has an academic background in languages and literature.