Nodal Points are particularly engaged members who volunteer for the network’s objectives. Currently, Unidas has Nodal Points in 13 countries. Nodal Points support communication and information exchange among members and within thematic or regional groups, organize activities and coordinate meetings in their countries, in collaboration with the Unidas Coordination Team, and serve as direct contacts for German diplomatic missions.
Argentina | Natalia Gherardi
Natalia Gherardi is an Argentine lawyer who holds a degree from the University of Buenos Aires. She has been CEO of ELA – Equipo Latinoamericano de Justicia y Género (Latin American Team for Justice and Gender) – since 2007. She also teaches at the University of Buenos Aires, the Universidad Nacional de Lanús and the Universidad Nacional de la Plata and has published on the topics of work, care policy, sexual and reproductive rights, and violence against women.
Bolivia | Gladys Lorena Terrazas Arnéz
Gladys Lorena Terrazas Arnéz is a climate leader, social researcher, and facilitator of conflict transformation processes. She has work experience in international organizations and public management. For more than ten years, she has been working with Indigenous communities in Amazonian biomes and the Great American Chaco. She is currently working on the International Sustainable Development Agenda 2030 and mitigating climate change with a human rights approach. Her main expertise lies in managing social and environmental projects while strengthening intercultural and community democracy.
Brazil | Virginia Gavilanes
Virginia Gavilanes is the Press & Public Relations Manager at the German Consulate General in Rio de Janeiro, where she leads strategic communication at the intersection of diplomatic relations, marketing, and intercultural collaboration. Building on over 13 years of experience, she previously served more than seven years as Consular Officer at the same Consulate, handling consular services with high political sensitivity and citizen-focused support. Earlier in her career, she worked as a Researcher at GAPCon – an academic and civil society initiative on international conflict prevention – and as Executive Assistant at Levy & Salomão Advogados, gaining experience in international relations, conflict analysis, and executive-level support. Alongside her professional path, she has volunteered with UNICAR for over two decades, teaching capoeira to children and adolescents, and brings an MBA in Marketing from Fundação Getulio Vargas and a Bachelor’s in International Relations from Universidade Candido Mendes.
Chile | Paula Salvo del Canto
Paula Salvo del Canto is a human rights lawyer with over 20 years of experience in the promotion and protection of human rights across public institutions, private entities, and NGOs. She currently serves as Director of Corporación Humanas and as a Counsellor of Chile’s National Institute for Human Rights (INDH) for the 2024–2030 period, where she provides strategic advice on international human rights law and engages with national and international human rights bodies. Her professional trajectory includes roles as a lawyer at the Observatorio Ciudadano, external consultant and specialist advisor on human rights, and legal advisor to the INDH Board and Directorate, supported by her legal training in Juridical and Social Sciences at the University of Chile with a specialization in human rights.
Colombia | Olga Amparo Sánchez
Olga Amparo Sánchez is a researcher, social worker and activist, with advanced training in Population Studies and Senior State Management, and experience in university teaching in the areas of research, public policy and social development. She has further authored research, essays and articles related to women's rights, peace and militarism. From 1995 to 1998, she served as National Director for Women’s Equity and represented the Colombian government in various international forums, including the Inter-American Commission of Women at the OAS in Washington, the UNESCO meeting on the human genome in Paris, and the Andean Parliament in Venezuela. Between 1994 and 1995, she also held the position of Vice-President of the National Planning Council.
Germany | Johanna Pieper
Johanna Pieper is a German-Peruvian Research Fellow and Doctoral Researcher in Political Science at the GIGA Institute for Latin American Studies in Hamburg. At the GIGA Institute, Johanna is part of a research team working on implemented policies on violence against women, particularly in the domestic sphere, in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic in Latin America. Other research areas include policy efforts on child labor and social protection mechanisms for children and informal workers in Latin America.
Dominican Republic | Julissa Jiménez
Julissa Jiménez is a Dominican marketer and lawyer. She served as President of the Dominican Association of Women Entrepreneurs (ADME) for the 2022–2024 period, and currently serves as Executive Director of the National Council of Commerce in Provisions (CNCP), becoming the first woman to hold this position in 23 years. She is President of the Council of Former Presidents of ADME, President of CODOPYME, a member of the National Entrepreneurship Network, Vice President of Social Policies at The Global Institute Digital Competitives, and an external advisor to the Innovati Foundation. She has represented the country at the United Nations and at IILA Italy. Her leadership has been recognized throughout her career by national and international organizations, including FIFA for her role in the FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup; Dinero Mujer; Forbes magazine, which named her one of the 50 Most Powerful Women in the World for her economic and social leadership. She holds master’s degrees in Strategy and Leadership, and Government, Public Management, and Local Development.
Ecuador | Dr. Ingrid Pilar Rassa Parra
Dr. Ingrid Pilar Rassa Parra is a lawyer, Doctor of Jurisprudence, certified mediator, and senior specialist in human rights, with more than three decades of experience in electoral justice, public law, and the defense of women’s rights in Ecuador. She has held leadership roles including Coordinator and Legal Secretary at the Supreme Electoral Tribunal, Parliamentary Advisor, Technical Legal Director of the National Council for Women (CONAMU), National Director for Priority Attention and Liberties at the Ombudsperson’s Office, and most recently Executive Director of the Mediation Center of the Pichincha Bar Association. Her expertise combines litigation, mediation, legislative and policy advice with a gender perspective, and university teaching in human rights, supported by extensive training and publications on gender-based violence, political participation, and institutional frameworks for human rights protection.
Guatemala | Sonia Acabal
Sonia Acabal is a human rights defender and part of the Red de la No Violencia contra las Mujeres RED-NOVI, a collective of women's rights organizations in Guatemala. The Network was founded following the murder of activist Dinora Perez on April 29, 1991. The Network develops programs and promotes the strengthening of coordination among the different women's rights organizations.
Mexico | Mayra López Pineda
Mayra López Pineda is a Zapotec lawyer from the Isthmus of Tehuantepec, with a law degree from the Law School of the National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM) and a master's degree in Public Policy and Gender from the Latin American Faculty of Social Sciences, Mexico (FLACSO). She is currently the coordinator of Advocacy and Transparency in the Right to Information Program of the organization ARTICLE 19 Office for Mexico and Central America. She has been accompanying victims of human rights violations in civil society organizations for over 12 years. She has also been an independent consultant on issues related to human rights, violence against women, rights of Indigenous peoples and communities, public security and access to justice for various national and international organizations, and a advisor to the federal congress. In addition, she has taught several workshops, courses and diploma courses on human rights, gender and justice, as well as Indigenous peoples' rights to both the general public and governmental agencies in various parts of the country.
Paraguay | Silvia López Safi
Silvia López Safi is a Doctor of Law, university professor, and researcher specializing in gender equality, family law, and the human rights of women, children, and adolescents. She serves as Director at the Gender Secretariat of the Judiciary of Paraguay under the Supreme Court of Justice, where she has led gender mainstreaming policies for over a decade. She is also President of the Foundation “Justice and Gender Paraguay – Southern Cone” and a long-standing faculty member at the National University of Asunción, the American University of Paraguay, and the Judicial School of Paraguay. With a Doctorate in National Strategic Defense, Development, and Security, she is widely recognized as a regional reference in gender justice, legal education, and institutional reform.
Trinidad and Tobago | Asiya S. Mohammed
Asiya S. Mohammed is the CEO of Conflict Women, a social enterprise that provides income, training and microfinance to the survivors of rape and domestic violence in Trinidad and Tobago, Jamaica and Barbados. She is a recipient of the Commonwealth Points of Light Prize, which was awarded by Queen Elizabeth II, and is also a TEDx speaker. Prior to her work with Conflict Women, she worked for UNICEF in Geneva and in the Ministry of Foreign and CARICOM Affairs of Trinidad and Tobago. She holds a master's degree in Comparative Politics (Markets and Politics) from the London School of Economics and Political Science and a bachelor's degree in International Relations from Lehigh University.
Uruguay | Florencia Pagola
Florencia Pagola is a writer and freelance journalist with a degree in Communication Sciences (FIC/UDELAR). She has collaborated with numerous digital media outlets and human rights organizations across Latin America. Currently, she contributes to La diaria and Pikara Magazine, and previously worked with Distintas Latitudes. Her work focuses on human rights, gender, and women’s advocacy, as well as on narrative journalism and chronicles. She has participated in journalism workshops led by Leila Guerriero and Marcela Turati and currently coordinates the independent media outlet Kaja Negra.