Jesús Fragozo Caro
Jesús works on communication initiatives to promote human rights advocacy in Latin America and the Caribbean, and supports the implementation of the Institute’s communication strategy.
He is a social communicator and journalist from Barranquilla, Colombia. He has coordinated communication departments in civil society organizations. He also facilitated a pilot project that developed a model for the Colombian police to prevent and improve the handling of cases of gender-based violence.
He has worked in the media and in human rights organizations on issues of gender, internal armed conflict, and peace agreements. In addition, he has organized and produced events, such as talks and dialogues, in different venues in Latin America.
commslatam@raceandequality.org
Otávio Zucoli Zanardi
Otávio is the LGBTI Program Officer in Brazil, with professional experience in human rights and international advocacy, specializing his knowledge in LGBTI rights, racial justice, Indigenous peoples’ rights, and the rights of persons with disabilities.
He holds a bachelor’s degree in Law (LL.B) from the State University of Londrina (UEL).
Previously, he gained experience as an intern and volunteer with Amnesty International, TODXs, CEJIL, Centre for Human Rights at the University of Pretoria (Nelson Mandela Moot Court), and the G20 Youth Summit (2022), where he learned in practice about diplomacy, human rights law, and legal defense before international human rights systems.
Zanardi@raceandequality.org
María Paula Custodio
María Paula is an officer of the LBTI+ women’s political participation project, a role under which she is responsible for initiatives such as the Kátia Tapety Political Training School, which is currently running in Brazil, and for providing complementary support to other projects focused on race, gender and LGBT+ rights.
She is a lawyer, trained in Diversity and Social Inclusion and Human Rights from the University of São Paulo, a specialist in Project Management and Third Sector Organizations from the Pontifical Catholic University of São Paulo (PUC-SP).
María Paula is internationally recognized for her performance in human rights causes and pro bono services by Latin Lawyer (Elite Firm category), she is also the first trans woman to be a finalist in an individual category at the prestigious Chambers and Partners in Brazil. Currently, she acts as an effective member of the Sexual and Gender Diversity Commission of the Ordem dos Advogados do Brasil – São Paulo (OAB-SP) and as one of the coordinators of the Diversity and Inclusion Working Group of Women in Law Mentoring – Brazil (WLM – Brazil).
She is the author of articles on human rights, diversity, equity, inclusion and pro bono for various media, such as Folha de São Paulo, Latin Lawyer, AASP, among others.
Custodio@raceandequality.org
Adolfo Lara
Adolfo is a consultant for the Latin America Legal Program. He supports legal and strategic actions before the Inter-American Human Rights System and the United Nations System.
Before joining Race and Equality, Adolfo worked at the Inter-American Court of Human Rights for almost five years in the areas of substantive matters, supervision of compliance with judgments, provisional measures, and advisory opinions. Prior to that, he worked in the Constitutional Chamber of the Supreme Court of Justice of Costa Rica, handling appeals for protection, habeas corpus, and constitutionality actions.
His experience also includes internships at the Center for Electoral Assistance and Promotion of the Inter-American Institute of Human Rights and the Attorney General’s Office of Costa Rica. He holds a law degree from the University of Costa Rica and has studied public international law at The Hague Academy of International Law, politics and democracy at the Latin American Faculty of Social Sciences, and human rights at the Inter-American Institute of Human Rights. He is currently a Chevening scholar and is pursuing a master’s degree in global politics at the London School of Economics and Political Science.
María Luisa Gómez
María Luisa serves as Senior Legal Program Officer for Latin America at the Institute on Race, Equality, and Human Rights, where she leads litigation strategies, international advocacy, and capacity building in collaboration with partner organizations in the region.
She holds a law degree and a degree in social anthropology from the Complutense University of Madrid and a master’s degree in international human rights law from the United Nations University for Peace. She has more than a decade of experience in defending and promoting human rights in Latin America, and her career combines strategic litigation before the Inter-American and Universal Human Rights Systems, academic research, university teaching, and support for communities, civil society organizations, and human rights defenders.
Before joining Race and Equality, she was a lawyer for the Mesoamerica Program at the Center for Justice and International Law (CEJIL), where she was in charge of strategic litigation in cases with high regional impact. She has also taught at the Austral University of Chile, at the Transdisciplinary Center for Environmental Studies and Sustainable Human Development (CEAM-UACh) and at the University of Costa Rica, contributing an interdisciplinary approach that combines law, anthropology, and environmental justice.
She has also worked as an independent consultant for international and civil society organizations, including the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR), the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), OXFAM, and Women’s Link Worldwide. Her areas of expertise include gender and intersectionality, economic, social, cultural, and environmental rights (DESCA), racial and environmental justice, and the rights of indigenous peoples and Afro-descendants.
Gomezcomi@raceandequality.org
Daniel Barrias
As Development Officer, Daniel supports Race and Equality’s institutional sustainability of, managing fundraising processes, organizational strengthening, and strategic relations with donors. Its work seeks to ensure that the organization’s programs have the necessary resources to advance human rights and equality in the Americas.
Prior to assuming this role, Daniel worked in organizations such as the International Republican Institute and Freedom House, as well as in academic and civil society spaces, leading research on democracy, governance, and political inclusion in Latin America. He has also provided consultancies in project evaluation, context analysis, anti-corruption and formulation of participatory methodologies.
Daniel holds a Bachelor’s degree in International Relations from the University of Panama and a Master’s Degree in Conflict Resolution, Peace and Development from the United Nations University for Peace. Currently, he is pursuing a PhD in Social Sciences at the University of Buenos Aires, with research on the securitization of diverse sexual orientations, identities and gender expressions (SOGIE).
Barrias@raceandequality.org
Elvia Duque
Elvia Duque is Senior Officer on Race and Ethnicity at the International Institute on Race, Equality and Human Rights. She works on advocacy projects before the Organization of American States (OAS), mainly in favor of the ratification of the Inter-American Convention against Racism, Racial Discrimination and Related Forms of Intolerance.
Previously, Elvia worked for many years as the Director of International Affairs of the organization Afroamérica XXI. In this role, she worked as an advocate for the Afro-Latino population and was also the coordinator of many international projects for Afro-Latinos. Also, with the organization Global Rights – Partners for Justice, she was one of the Afro-Latina leaders who helped advocate for many years for the creation of the Rapporteurship on the Rights of Afro-descendants and against Racial Discrimination in the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights, the main and autonomous body of the OAS. As a member of different Afro-Latina organizations, Elvia published numerous technical training materials.
In addition, Elvia is the author of the book “Contributions of the Afro-descendant People. The Hidden History of Latin America”. Elvia studied law at the Universidad Santiago de Cali, and was born in Cali, Colombia.
Duque@raceandequality.org
Antônia Iarissa Duarte
Antonia Iarissa is responsible for assisting with the administration, finances, processes, and logistics of the Race and Equality office in Brazil. She works in collaboration with the director and supports the program officers in executing projects and managing operational tasks.
With a degree in Public Security from the Fluminense Federal University (UFF) and a current postgraduate degree in Human Rights, Antonia is interested in the justice system and its punishments. With experience in business relations and team management, she has worked in private companies, where she contributed to improving operational processes.
iarissa@raceandequality.org
Rodnei Jericó da Silva
Lawyer and Coordinator of the Race and Equality Brazil Program. Rodnei is responsible for managing the projects, programs and strategic alliances of Race and Equality in Brazil.
For 23 years he acted as lawyer and coordinator of SOS Racism of Geledés – Black Women’s Institute. He has a postgraduate study in Human Rights from the University of São Paulo (USP), postgraduate in Human Rights and International Law from the Advocates Training Program at Columbia University (NY), also a postgraduate in Civil Law and Civil Procedural Law. Litigator with vast experience in the defense of the rights of the Black population. Since 2001, he has been acting before the International Human Rights Protection Systems, both in the Inter-American Human Rights System and the Universal Human Rights System.
jerico@raceandequality.org
Getye Dagne Mulat
Getye directly reports to the Executive Director and performs all day-to-day financial transactions, as well as preparing the organization’s periodic financial reports.
Getye has over 20 years of work experience in the field of accounting and financial management. Before joining Race & Equality, he worked at a publicly-owned enterprise, a coffee plantation development corporation, and in his own professional consultancy firm in Ethiopia.
Getye received his B.A. in Accounting from Addis Ababa University/Ethiopia, as well as a professional certification from the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants (ACCA) in the United Kingdom (UK).
mulat@raceandequality.org
