Economist

Please use my second email for contact: christinaandersson0@gmail.com

Johan van Geijn has a unique track record as a specialist in international corporate social responsibility (CSR) in the world of sports, particularly in football and international development cooperation. With more than 25 years of experience – heading the international programs at the Royal Netherlands Football Association (KNVB) since 1998 to build local capacity through football in developing countries and low-income countries. More than 20,000 young volunteer coaches have been able to improve themselves in their local environment through programs developed by Johan.
As founder of the WorldCoaches program, Johan has proven many times how sport can serve as a means for social development. Using football as a catalyst for social cohesion, for the position of girls and women in society, for awareness of communicable diseases, drugs and addictions or clean water.
With the international challenges surrounding migration and refugees, using football as an initiator for programs to tackle youth unemployment in these countries. A range of thematic social challenges where Johan has been able to let football contribute to the approach and often to the solution.

I am Chief of Cabinet at SESRIC, a subsidiary organ of the OIC.

Joaquin, director of To the core of things, is a monitoring, evaluation, researcher and programme manager of multimillion regional programmes and projects specialised in human rights, media, gender, community tourism and children/youth.

As the director and principal consultant of To the core of things consultancy firm, I bring over two decades of experience in results-based management, monitoring, and evaluation of international development programs, with a deep familiarity with EU and UNEG norms and standards. Throughout my career, I have developed and refined evaluation systems, policies, and related guidance for various DGs, national authorities, international NGOs and UN agencies. My work spans multiple regions, including Africa, Latin America, and Asia, focusing on human rights, media, gender, and education and youth programs. Notably, I have led strategic consultancies for different EU instruments including EIDHR, the EU social fund and also outside the EU for UNESCO and OHCHR. These consultancies focused on monitoring, evaluation, and reporting functions of international organizations including the assessment of these functions of UN agencies, OECD, the Council of Europe and the European Union.

My methodological expertise includes mixed-methods approaches and quasi-experimental designs that emphasise client and partner ownership, coherence with learning curves, and pragmatic solutions. These tools, developed under the Creative Commons IP from To the Core of Things, include research guidelines, organisational capacity assessment, modular reconstruction and adaptation of theories of change, stakeholder network maps methodologies, case study guidelines and approaches, outcome harvesting through Most Significant Change stories and implementation of machine learning approaches to development cooperation programmes.

The principles I apply in all my works are ownership of the works and the processes by the client and partners (through a strong participatory approach); alignment with latest trends in the field (including ICT4D, statistical techniques and humanistic considerations); coherence with the learning curve of the clients, and; pragmatism, proposing solutions in line with the interests, philosophy and capacities of the clients and its partners.

Key relevant work that reflects this range of skills and passions include ROM reviews for multi-country EU programmes, consultancies for UNESCO (evaluaitons, periodic reporting consultancies or MEAL system TA). Also for the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) I have developed as well another strategic consultancy assessing their in-house monitoring and reporting function plus other programme and country evaluations. Other donors, include USAID, with consultancies carried for US Internews setting up the methodologies, managing seven multicultural teams and producing seven research products for their Rooted in Trust programme and leading several programme evaluations. Some other relevant examples of my works are the evaluation of an agriculture cooperative based project in Ethiopia funded by NORAD, the evaluation of a community radios programme in Zambia funded by the Netherlands; the research manager position for ECORYS and also academic publications in the Journal of Multidisciplinary Evaluation.

For more information visit https://tothecoreofthings.consulting; check our track of projects.

Lama Abu Baker is a seasoned communications expert with over 16 years of experience in strategic communications, media relations, and public diplomacy across the MENA region. She has successfully led communication and visibility components for numerous EU-funded and international development projects, collaborating closely with local governments, civil society organizations, and international bodies. 

Since 2018, Lama has been a key expert in multimedia, communications, and visibility for several EU-funded projects in Palestine, Jordan, Lebanon, and Iraq. Her current role involves managing the multimedia and communications component of the EU Regional Trust Fund’s response to the Syrian Crisis. She has successfully implemented innovative social media campaigns and overseen content production. 

Lama has led communication efforts for significant projects such as the EU-GCC Cooperation on Green Transition and Decarbonization, managing communication, including high-level events and climate diplomacy activities in the GCC region. She also led a nationwide awareness campaign on inclusive education for vulnerable groups, including children with disabilities and refugees, as part of the Inclusive Education in Jordan project with GIZ. 

In addition to project management, Lama excels in training and mentoring media and communications teams within government institutions and civil society organizations. Her leadership and capacity-building skills have enabled her to guide teams in developing and implementing effective communication strategies, media relations, and impactful PR campaigns. 

Lama has worked on projects addressing critical issues such as renewable energy, gender equality, social inclusion, women’s and youth economic empowerment, and more. Her deep understanding of EU guidelines, donor branding, and visibility standards—gained through collaborations with organizations like USAID, UN, SIDA, DFID, and GIZ—has made her a recognized leader in strategic communications across the region. 

Lama holds a bachelor’s degree in journalism from Birzeit University. She is fluent in Arabic and English and has basic French and Italian. Beyond her professional accomplishments, Lama is known for her unwavering commitment to social causes and her ability to inspire those around her through impactful storytelling.