Team
Our Team
The main objective of Helsinki España-Human Dimension is to promote the respect and protection of human rights through education, mainly at the university level. In order to accomplish this goal, we have a team of highly qualified people deeply committed to our mission, and thanks to them we are able to coordinate the day-to-day management of the organization.
María Jaén Barandiarán
President / Project Director
Maria Jaén holds a degree in Business Administration from the Universidad Europea de Madrid and a Masters in Marketing from the Universidad Autónoma de Madrid. In 2001, she was selected as an International Visitor for the U.S. Government’s IVLP program and from 2000-2001 she was selected for a European Social Fund Scholarship. She completed her English studies at Georgetown University in 2009. In 2021, she was awarded the Serge Lazareff Award issued by NATO.
She joined Helsinki Spain in 1999 and since then has been working for this organization, carrying out projects and seminars on human rights, conflict resolution, poverty eradication and peace building from a multicultural approach. In 2020 he assumed the presidency of Helsinki Spain – Human Dimension.
Ana María Nieto Centeno
Vice President
Ana Nieto received her law degree from the Universidad Complutense (Madrid). She has more than 30 years of experience in private practice as a lawyer. From 1995 to 2014 she was Secretary General of Helsinki Spain.
She has conducted several researches related to the improvement of higher education and professional ethics in teaching, participated in numerous international workshops and seminars on Human Rights and poverty alleviation in cooperation with OSCE, UN and EU. In 2015 she was elected President of Helsinki Spain. She is currently Vice President of Helsinki España – Human Dimension.
Silvia Escobar
Vice President
Silvia Escobar is a leading Spanish expert on human rights. She has been Director of the Human Rights Office of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Spanish Ambassador for Human Rights. She was a founding member and first president of Amnesty International in Spain, Director of Social Services of the Spanish Red Cross, Secretary General of the Humanitarian Law Center of the Spanish Red Cross and Secretary General of the CEAR Foundation.
She has been part of numerous diplomatic missions with the United Nations, the Council of Europe, the OSCE and the EU, holding the position of president of the EU dialogues with third countries during the Spanish presidency of the EU in 2010. She is currently a visiting professor at several Spanish universities and Vice President of Helsinki España – Human Dimension.
Angela Suárez Jaimes
Secretary General / Project Director
Graduate in International Relations at the Universidad Complutense (Madrid) and in Law at the Universidad Nacional de Educación a Distancia. Master’s in Governance and Human Rights from the Universidad Autónoma (Madrid).
She was involved in security, migration flow, and international terrorism with the center for analysis and prospective of the Civil Guard. She was selected through an international cooperation grant to work with the Committee for Solidarity with Political Prisoners in the defense of human rights defenders in Bogotá (Colombia). She is currently the Secretary-General of Helsinki España.
Nicole Ángeles Siri
Project Coordinator
Was born in the Dominican Republic, holds a law degree from the Complutense University of Madrid. During her studies, she participated during three years in the Educational Innovation Project “Restorative Justice, APAC Prisons” and the Teaching Innovation Project “The Hispanic Municipal Laws Preserved in the Archaeological Museum of Madrid”, both at the Complutense University.
She has collaborated as an Honorary Intern Teacher with the Community of Madrid, providing training for employment. Nicole also has professional experience as an administrative. She was selected for a partial scholarship program by the Global Foundation for Democracy and Development FUNGLODE to pursue a Master’s in Governance and Human Rights at the Autonomous University of Madrid.
Lali Diaz Tomás
Project Coordinator
Graduated in International Studies from the Autonomous University of Madrid. She met Helsinki España when she participated as a volunteer in the “Youth for Youth” Project in 2020-2021. She began her volunteering career at the Spanish Red Cross between 2017 and 2020 in education and school support projects for children and adolescents at risk of social exclusion. In 2022 she was selected by the CEAL Santander scholarship to carry out an international stay at the University of Buenos Aires. Social intervention, development education projects, as well as research in Latin American studies are her interests. She participated as a speaker at the II Congress of Young Americanists in 2023, at the “La Corrala” Cultural Center, of the Autonomous University of Madrid. She is currently working as a project coordinator in Helsinki España.
Our volunteers
The humanitarian work carried out by Helsinki España would not be possible without the efforts of our large team of volunteers. We have volunteers from different academic backgrounds united by the determination to protect human rights, making possible a more complete management of the organization and creating a positive synergy that facilitates the achievement of our objectives.
Covadonga González
Sociology, International Relations, and Expert in Development Student at the Complutense University of Madrid. During this time she has had the opportunity to strengthen her interests and knowledge of global challenges such as the climate crisis or conflict prevention, through her participation in several associations, projects, and mentorships; which include Head of Press at the Model United Nations of the Complutense University in the academic year 2021-2022. She also studied for a year at Sciences Po Lille, France (2022-2023), where she obtained a Certificate in European and International Studies. As a student intern in Helsinki Spain, she hopes to learn and train more deeply in human rights and apply what she has learned these past years.
Nahuel Chali
Nahuel Chali is a senior student of Economics and International Relations in the Universidad Complutense de Madrid, where he has also participated in courses, such as the Jean Monet Module: A Global Europe, where he has been able to reinforce his academic training.
Having volunteered for the Jóvenes para Jóvenes project in 2022, he is currently looking forward to starting his university internship program in Helsinki España in order to deepen his knowledge in the field of Human Rights.
Saga Hedqvist
Student of International Relations at Universidad Europea, soon to undertake a semester abroad at the London School of Economics. I have completed one year of studies in National Economics at Stockholm University. Throughout my education, I have developed a strong foundation in global and economic issues, allowing me to gain a comprehensive understanding of international affairs.
Luisa Fernanda Giraldo
Luisa Giraldo grew up in Medellin, Colombia. There, she graduated in Politics at the Pontificia Bolivariana University. Since her adolescence, she felt motivated by community work, and for that reason, her path has been influenced by working in communities, both professionally, and through volunteering.
She was an intern for the Government of Antioquia where she worked in the international relations area. Then, she worked at Explora Park in topics related to education, migration and awareness in human rights. Interested in learning more about human rights, she decided to travel to Spain to study a Master’s Degree in Governance and Human Rights at the Autonoma University of Madrid, which is currently taking place while she is an intern at Helsinki Spain.
Inés Ferreiro
I am a student of Economics and International Relations at the Complutense University of Madrid. I’ve always been interested in politics and social issues, which made it easy for me to choose my career path. I spent my third year of university in Paris, where I had the opportunity to study at SciencesPo, an experience that not only allowed me to improve my English and French, but also enriched my learning and helped me develop my skills in a different environment. During the course of my studies, I participated in several trainings, activities and university projects. Moreover, I was a volunteer in the Social Intervention and Inclusion Program of Red Cross Youth, in which I was part of the project of promotion of school success for children with social difficulties.
Francesca Bambara
Francesca Bambara was born and raised in the United States in a small town in Connecticut. She currently is a junior at Providence College with majors in Global Studies and Sociology and a minor in Spanish. On campus, she is involved in student congress and Providence’s environmental club to make change, expanding upon the volunteer work she completed in high school with the local tutoring program and senior center in her town. After graduating from Providence, she wants to attend law school to specialize in human rights, environmentalism or immigration.
Bayan Nicolás Misaghi
Bayan Nicolás holds a Law Degree from the University of Alicante. Master in Intellectual Property (Magister Lvcentinvs) from the University of Alicante. He completed his English studies at California State University of Fresno (USA). He has worked for several years in the protection of intangible assets and intellectual property rights at the firm Santiago Mediano Abogados in Madrid. He has collaborated with the Bahá’í World Center in Haifa organizing public events and maintaining commercial relations with the business sector of that city.
Currently studying the Master in Governance and Human Rights at the Universidad Autónoma of Madrid. Professional with a conciliatory spirit committed to the promotion and defense of human rights and the strengthening of multilateralism to achieve international agreements.
Carlota Humet Cañete
She is a student of International Relations at the Francisco de Vitoria University in Madrid, where she is also studying for a degree in intelligence and security. Volunteering and social issues have always been of great interest to her and have led her to fully commit herself to projects to defend human rights.
She studied during her third year at Sabancy University, located in Istanbul, Turkey. At this institution she was able to expand her knowledge of mediation and international conflict resolution, politics and global governance, immigration, borders and other topics relevant to her academic training. She is currently beginning her internship in Helsinki Spain with the aim of collaborating with the “youth for youth” program, an education and awareness-raising project on human rights and values aimed at university students and adolescents.
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