Our Board
The Global Campaign for Education is a membership organisation, which is governed by its members through the World Assembly (held every four years) and an elected Board.
Our Board
The Board represents our constituencies: two representatives from the teaching profession, two from international non-governmental organisations, and one from regional and international youth-led organisations; the different regions are represented by two seats each from Africa, Asia-Pacific, Latin America and the Caribbean, America, the Middle East, and Europe/North America. GCE’s President is elected by the World Assembly, with the Vice-President, Chair, and Vice-Chair elected by the Board.
President I Constituency: Middle East
Refaat Sabbah
President (Constituency: Middle East)
Dr. Refat Sabbah is, since November 2018, the president of the Global Campaign for Education. He has extensive experience in the field of education as a social actor, empowering and promoting the critical role of teachers.
Vice-President I Constituency: Latin America and the Caribbean
Nelsy Lizarazo
Vice-President
Nelsy Julieta Lizarazo Castro. Colombian and Ecuadorian. With a background in Philosophy and Literature, postgraduate degree in Political Science and International Relations and a doctorate in Complex Thought.
Second Vice-President
Chairperson I Constituency: Africa
Paul Gnelou
Chairperson
Paul Gnelou has 38 years of experience as a teacher and several decades of trade unionism in leadership positions. He is the President of the Africa Network Campaign for Education for All (ANCEFA) and the national coalition Réseau Ivoirien pour la Promotion de l’Education Pour Tous (RIP-EPT).
Vice Chairperson I Constituency, the Teaching profession
Christopher Weavers
Vice Chairperson
Chris Weavers works for the NASUWT, the teachers’ union where he leads the union’s political engagement as well as maintaining relationships with a wide range of external organisations, domestically and internationally.
Board Members
Constituency I Youth and Student-Led Organisations
Ester Simon
Board Member
Ester Simon is passionate about; Education, Communications for Development, Public Management and Policy, Access to Information for Empowerment, Community Development, and Social Justice. She served as Namibia National Students Organisation’s first female President since its inception in 1984, and All-African Students Union Constitutional Review Committee member.
Constituency I Africa
Faraja Kotta Nyalandu
Board Member
Faraja is a resourceful social entrepreneur passionate about developing cutting edge social and educational programs that support children and women’s development. With over 15 years experience in engaging young people, she has dedicated her professional career and personal life to empowering them to achieve their full potential.
Constituency I the Middle East
Elsy Wakil
Board Member
Elsy Wakil is the founder of the Lebanese Coalition of the Global Campaign for Education (Arab Network Popular Education) (2010 – till now). ANPE is member in the CCNGO as well.
Constituency I Latin America and the Caribbean
Constituency I the Teaching profession
Antonia Wulff
Board Member
Antonia Wulff is a Coordinator at Education International (EI), the world federation of teacher unions, and represents the teaching constituency on the GCE board.
Constituency I International NGOs
Mercedes Mayol Lassalle
Board member
World President of OMEP (World Organization for Early Childhood Education) since 2020 and elected member of the Coordination Group of the Collective Consultation of NGOs on EDUCATION 2030 - CCNGO/ED 2030, to December, 2024.
Anthony Baker
Board Member
Sr. Advisor for External Engagement – Education, World Vision International. With 18 years of experience, five in East Africa, Anthony focuses on the right to education, research-to-action advocacy, and education development.
Constituency I Europe and North America
Crispin Williams
Board Member
Crispin Williams is a seasoned political influencer and advocacy expert who worked in the EU (Brussels) and the UN (Geneva) for over 20 years. He is currently the Senior Adviser for Policy and Stakeholder Engagement at Right To Play. He holds an MSc in political theory (LSE).
Gevork Manoukian
Board Member
Gevork Manoukian is a Lawyer, Human Rights and Peace Education specialist, the founding President of the Armenian Constitutional Right-Protective Centre (ACRPC) NGO and the GCE Armenian Coalition Coordinator since 2003.
Constituency I Asia Pacific
Ram Prasad Gaire
Board Member
Ram Gaire is the Program Manager of the National Campaign for Education Nepal (NCE-Nepal), a leading civil society network of more than 339 organizations working on the right to education since 2003.
Jose Roberto Guevara
Board Member
Jose Roberto ‘Robbie’ Guevara is an educator with extensive experience in adult, community and popular education with a focus on Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) and global citizenship education. He is a sought-after facilitator for his expertise in participatory, creative and experiential learning methodologies developed from years of working as a grassroots environmental educator and theatre practitioner in the Philippines.
