Andrés Sebastián Gómez Polanco

Andrés Sebastián Gómez Polanco has a diverse range of work experience. Andrés Sebastián started their career as a Columnist and International Political Analyst for Periódico Digital “Conexión 13” from March 2014 to December 2014. At the same time, they also worked as a Student Tutor at the Universidad de las Américas UDLA, where they focused on strengthening the academic skills of students with educational difficulties and teaching methodology, theory, and critical analysis in subjects such as Political Organization and Citizen Participation and Sociology II.

In 2014, Andrés also worked as an Investigator and Political Consultant for Dra. Gretel Ledo. In this role, they analyzed the dynamics of the Argentine parliament, political relations between different political parties, and the executive and legislative branches. Andrés Sebastián developed public policy proposals to address structural issues such as poverty, inequality, bureaucracy, public administration, education, and foreign trade. Additionally, they worked on developing mechanisms, procedures, and institutional arrangements to consolidate and strengthen regional integration processes such as MERCOSUR and UNASUR.

Moving forward, Andrés joined Equilibrio Internacional as a Columnist and International Political Analyst from August 2014 to November 2015. In this capacity, they analyzed international politics in terms of economics, governance, public policies, security, and social problems, focusing on Latin America, Europe, and Asia.

Andrés then transitioned to the Programa de las Naciones Unidas para el Desarrollo Ecuador (ONU REDD+) in December 2015, where they served as a Technician in Participation and Capacity Strengthening. Their responsibilities included negotiating with the Ministry of the Environment, NGOs, intergovernmental organizations, and civil society on environmental projects within the framework of the UN REDD+ Conservation Project. Andrés Sebastián also collaborated in the development of the REDD+ Action Plan, specifically in the Participation and Capacity Strengthening section. Furthermore, they conducted training sessions on environmental issues, climate change, mitigation, adaptation, resilience, human rights, sociocultural conflicts, and socio-environmental topics for community leaders and the general population in the eastern provinces of Ecuador.

In 2016, Andrés worked for the Programa de las Naciones Unidas para el Desarrollo – Peru as the Coordinator of Youth Participation on the 2030 Agenda and Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Andrés Sebastián conducted capacity-building workshops on the SDGs and the 2030 Development Agenda for youth organizations, NGOs, foundations, community organizations, public servants, civil society, and university students in Ecuador, Colombia, Peru, Bolivia, and Guatemala. Andrés Sebastián also represented the United Nations Volunteers Program on the Interagency Committee of the UN during the 2017 presidential elections in Ecuador.

Continuing their career with the United Nations, Andrés joined the PNUD Ecuador in October 2018 as a Project Officer for Readiness. In this role, they focused on project readiness and preparedness, ensuring that projects were well-prepared for implementation.

In 2019, Andrés worked as the Director of Research and Content for Transparencia E., where they were responsible for research and content development.

Starting in June 2020, Andrés worked as a Project Officer for Fundación Panamericana para el Desarrollo, where they were involved in project management.

Currently, Andrés is working as a Project Manager for the Regional GBV Project at HIAS, a position they started in November 2021.

Andrés Sebastián Gómez Polanco's education history begins in 2011 when they attended the Universidad de Las Américas (EC) and earned a Bachelor's degree in Political Science and International Relations. This program focused on the study of political sciences and international relationships. From 2017 to 2018, they pursued a Master's degree in Comparative Politics in Politics of the Developing World at The London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE), focusing on political sciences and government. Andrés Sebastián then continued their studies at the Facultad Latinoamericana de Ciencias Sociales, where they obtained a Master's degree in Public Policies from 2018 to 2020. This program emphasized the analysis of public policies.