Creando Puentes

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United by a common philosophy , CREANDOPUENTES was born in 2008, on the initiative of a group of network professionals, with extensive experience in international development cooperation.

CREANDOPUENTES comprises a pool of experts with broad experience of projects implemented jointly with developing country Governments, multilateral organizations (United Nations agencies, World Bank, International Monetary Fund, Regional Development Banks), and official Cooperation Agencies from Member States of the European Union. Our network also has vast experience of cooperation with non state actors, from both Northern and Southern countries.

The European Commission, principal global donor and executive branch of the European Union, has played a key role in the careers of our team members, together with the academic world where we have a large accumulated experience. Over the years we have developed strategic, management, analytical and supervisory responsibilities for programmes and projects co-financed by this institution, both in headquarters and in the field. We have worked in numerous sectors ranging from food security, rural and urban development, health and education, good governance, social, institutional and economic development , decentralization, competitiveness and small and medium size enterprises (SMEs) support as well as humanitarian and emergency aid.

Living and working in Latin American, African and Asian countries have allowed us to design and implement diverse cooperation programmes from a hand on perspective. We believe that this direct involvement is what sets us apart, providing added value to our work.

Within a context of globalization and interdependence, CREANDOPUENTES aims to contribute to the institutional, economic and human development of Southern countries, improving communication and understanding between North and South.

To achieve that objective,

We use methodological tools to focus aid in terms of efficiency and quality, obtaining tangible results for beneficiaries.

In line with the Paris Declaration of March 2005 on the effectiveness of international aid, we are guided by principles that attribute the main responsibility for development to its chief protagonists by means of:

Alignment with the priorities of beneficiary countries thereby ensuring full ownership.
Harmonization with other donors’ policies.
Complementarity and coordination among aid donors (at international, national, regional, local and private levels) aiming at results oriented management.

In the face of cultural barriers, we promote a permanent dialogue in order to encourage understanding.
In practice this implies the promotion of networks, team work with partners from European and Southern countries, and effective fundraising. CREANDOPUENTES therefore tries to link realities and cultures; to ease and to maintain constant ties and contacts among public and private institutions that already have, or wish to develop, cooperation policies or programmes with entities in the South.

CREANDOPUENTES provides technical assistance to entities involved in development cooperation (humanitarian aid included), regardless of type (public/private, National/Regional/Local administrations).
Our principal services include:

The elaboration of strategies and programming.
Advice on the organization and management of calls to finance aid projects.
Assessment and selection of proposals presented within the framework of cooperation tenders.
Assistance and technical support in each of the phases of the project cycle (identification, formulation, implementation, monitoring and evaluation.)
The application of monitoring systems, qualitative and quantitative, internal and in the field, in the course of programme and project implementation. (sectoral approach and budget support included), in order to ensure efficiency and effectiveness.
Ex-post monitoring.
Mid-term and ex-post evaluation of programmes and projects.
Advising organizations on internationalization processes, on geographical and sector levels.

CREANDO PUENTES works in all sectors focusing in particular on food aid and food security, social and economic development, institutional support, good governance, competitiveness and SMEs.

info@creandopuentes.org

mpita@creandopuentes.org

T: +34 671 607 412

F: +34 971 728 024

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Jesus Esteban has over 30 years of professional experience. He is a Law graduate, went on to study an MBA and has a Phd in Engineering. He has been Professor of Applied Economics in several Spanish universities, as well as a visiting Lecturer at the National Technical University of Mexico, University of California (Fullerton) and the Sloan School (Massachusetts Institute of Technology).

His work centre on areas such as regional inequalities, cultural differences and economic growth as well as quality, efficiency, competitiveness, project evaluation, pricing, information systems, information society and institutional development.

He has been Director General of the Treasury for Government of the Valencia Region for 5 years.

He was member of the European Social Exclusion Group within the European Commission Directorate General of the European Social Fund for 1 year.

Furthermore, J. Esteban has been a board member of the Spanish Housing Institute and the Youth Institute. He was member of the Technical Unit responsible for the formation of the Citric Fruits Futures Market first and member of the Board of Directors later on.

He has been actively involved in developing public and private sectors (SMMEs) with the World Bank, the Inter-American Development Bank and the European Union for Latin America and the Caribbean, aiming consistently to create social development on a regional level, and to improve their standing within the international market.

His great analytical skills; his problem detection and solving abilities; his communication and interaction skills are a result of his deep knowledge (on technical, economic and legal levels) on international trade, and his extensive academic and administrative experience.

Karen McHugh is a development specialist with over 20 years experience in international cooperation.

As an expert in monitoring and evaluation of a wide range of development programs/projects, she has participated in more than 40 missions in Latin America, Africa, Asia and Central and Eastern Europe, both on a long and short term basis. She is, therefore, fully familiar with the broad objectives of international development policy and has an in depth knowledge of diverse aid delivery mechanisms (humanitarian aid, projects, programs and budget support)

Her areas of work cover a vast number of sectors; ie, Rural, Environmental, Food Security, Regional Integration, Local Government, Decentralisation, Institutional Strengthening, Economic/Financial, Democracy and Human Rights, Reintegration of Refugees, Education, Health, Infrastructure, Information and Communication Technologies and Urban Issues

She has an extensive experience of engagement with diverse actors from community based organizations through to NGOs, multilateral and bilateral donors and local and national governments

She was Coordinator of the EC Results Oriented Monitoring System (ROM) for Latin America for over 5 years and team leader for numerous monitoring missions covering a wide array of EU supported sectors

As Director of the EC Food Security Program for Honduras and El Salvador for more than 4 years, her responsibilities included the aid supervision, in close coordination with other donor relief efforts, in the wake of Hurricane MITCH in 1998 and the earthquakes of 2001 in El Salvador

She also worked for the World Bank in Washington as a senior consultant dealing with projects on land rights

She posseses a strong analytical capacity and broad experience in the design and revision of internal and external monitoring and evaluation systems based on project cycle management

Mireya Pita has 20 years of professional experience on European issues. Most of this time, she has worked on development cooperation issues, with positions occupied ranging from program/project manager, to coordinator and representative/head of office. She has broad knowledge and vision of international cooperation development policies and aid delivery mechanisms, as well as extensive experience on the use of procedures and standards imposed by the European Commission.

Her working areas include fisheries, trade, regional funds. On international development cooperation, she has broad experience on sectors such as food aid and food security, institutional support, education, governance, local, social and economic development, implemented within the framework of bilateral programs, multilateral organizations (United Nations, World Bank, International Monetary Fund, Regional Development Banks) and civil society.

Mireya has lived in Bolivia, Cuba, Angola and Paraguay for over 8 years, managing and coordinating EC programs and projects on all its different phases (identification, formulation, implementation, monitoring and evaluation).

She has participated on the reform of the European Commission Food Security policy (from food aid to food security). Member of the external monitoring team of experts for EC programs in Latin America, Africa and Asian countries for 3 years, she also possesses a very good experience on internal monitoring systems of EC projects in third world countries on various sectors (education, vocational training, food security, social, local and economic development). She has been member of projects evaluation committees on numerous occasions.

She has a proven strong capacity to adapt to though living and working situations and conditions.

Her depth skills for negotiation, contacts, lobbying and interaction with cooperation actors in general result from intensively interacting and developing relations with European Community civil servants of all levels (EC, European Council, EP, in particular), European and Regional politicians, a wide variety of representatives from civil society, international consultants, different cooperation actors from the international community and responsible authorities in several third world countries for about 20 years.

Massimo Canossa has a solid background in Agronomics Engineering, a MA in Tropical and Subtropical Agriculture and, completing it recently with a MA in Anthropology of Development at the School of Oriental and African Studies – SOAS, London.

He has almost 20 years of professional experience, of which 17 years as project/program leader and senior expert on international cooperation for development in Latin American and African Caribbean and Pacific countries.

His areas of work cover the identification, implementation and monitoring of development initiatives in the sectors of rural development and food security (including commercialization and pro-poor financial market), institutional strengthening, humanitarian aid and rehabilitation.

He is, therefore, familiar with the main aid delivery instrument as project, sector programme and budget support and he has developed a strong experience engaging with several actors of the aid recipient countries, cooperatives, NGOs, local Governments, bilateral and multilateral aid agencies.

He spent over 15 years of his professional life in Africa and Latin America, 9 of then as Director of the European Commission (EC) Food Security in Cuba and Nicaragua.

He has participated in 17 EC Results Oriented Monitoring (ROM) missions, 6 of them as team leader, covering country based and regional actions in the fields of food security, rural and economic development, human rights as well as environment.

He possesses a strong analytical capacity and great adaptation to different working environments.