Geneva Office Team

GAHP Secretariat

Laura Schaefli, Program Manager

Laura Schaefli joined the GAHP team in May 2020. Laura has over 10 years of experience in project management and development in non-profit environments. Prior to joining GAHP, she worked as a program coordinator with the ARCH Network for Maternal and Child Health Equity and as a research manager for a diverse array of projects focused on education and Indigenous rights. Laura holds a PhD in Geography from Queen’s University in Canada and is based in Geneva, Switzerland.

Katherine Urbáez, Senior Policy Advisor

Katherine Urbáez joined GAHP in January 2022, focusing on liaison between Geneva-based LMIC countries, the UN, and other advocacy efforts. She is a former Dominican Republic diplomat involved in several negotiations and public policy design processes in the multilateral arena, focusing on global health, human rights, and humanitarian issues. She was the Chair for the 2016 Community of Latin American and the Caribbean States Presidency in Geneva and coordinated the Executive Board Membership to the World Health Organization. Additionally served to the World Trade Organization, Hong Kong, United Nations in Geneva, and the Swiss Confederation. Previously she worked in the Agricultural International Trade Office. Ms. Urbáez has a bachelor’s degree in economics and postgraduate studies in international business, project management, political economy, and negotiation.

Arantxa Cedillo, Outreach and Communications Manager

Arantxa Cedillo joins GAHP as the new Outreach and Communications Manager. She brings over 15 years of professional communications experience and has widely collaborated with leading global media outlets, humanitarian and human rights organizations, scientific institutions, and UN agencies. She has extensive experience leading branding and global campaigns on health, education, and environmental issues in various countries including Cambodia, Bangladesh, Nepal, and Lao PDR. Arantxa holds a Documentary and Photojournalism degree from the International Center for Photography in NYC and lives in Geneva, Switzerland.

Lucile Okio, Senior Program Manager

Lucile Okio joined the GAHP team in June 2020, and works on Health and Pollution Action Plan projects. She has several years of experience working in program management, emergency preparedness and response, and project development. Prior to GAHP, she worked for the International Organization for Migration (IOM) in Geneva, Nigeria, and Niger, where she was a Program Officer supporting the implementation of small scale cross-sectoral projects with local partners and community members. Lucile holds an MSc. in Public Health and is fluent in English and French.

Santosh Shrestha, Finance Manager

Santosh Shrestha joined the GAHP team in August 2021. He has several years of experience in finance and administration at private and public sector organizations in Nepal, India, and Switzerland. Santosh holds a Master’s Degree in Business Studies from Tribhuvan University, Nepal. He is an MBA Finance student at the Rushford Business School in Geneva, Switzerland, and is a semi-qualified Chartered Accountant (CA Finalist) from the Institute of Chartered Accountant of India. Previously, Santosh interned at the Finance and Budgeting Department for GAVI, The Vaccine Alliance in Switzerland. He has worked as an Internal Auditor at Manjushree Finance Limited, and as a Finance Officer in different sectors including projects with the government of Nepal. Santosh speaks Nepali, English, Hindi, Newari and is currently taking French classes. 

Partnering to Solve Pollution Problems