Mariana González Mejía

Mariana was born in Medellín, Colombia, and grew up in a community heavily affected by organized crime. After her family was threatened by a criminal organization, she moved to Spain, an experience that shaped her long-term interest in human rights, governance, and how institutions respond to insecurity and inequality.

She holds a Bachelor’s degree in International Relations and a Master’s degree in Humanitarian Action and Peacebuilding from Oxford Brookes University and UNITAR. Mariana has worked across advocacy and multilateral policy spaces in Geneva, including within the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights and a Permanent Mission, supporting human rights mechanisms, policy research, stakeholder engagement, and intergovernmental processes.
She later worked at the Geneva Centre for Security Policy on strategic foresight,  peace and security. She has also been involved in structured youth engagement in Europe as an EU Youth Dialogue Ambassador through the Youth Council of Spain.

In 2026, Mariana created  NextGen Governance Lab, a youth-led organisation focused on global governance, democracy, polarization, development, and the strengthening meaningful youth participation in decision-making.