Advisory Board Gender Justice
The Advisory Board Gender Justice advises Mission 21 as an expert body. Its task is to support the strategic orientation of Mission 21 for gender justice and gender mainstreaming. The four coordinators of the Continental Assemblies, representatives of the Mission 21 Board of Directors, and external gender experts participate in the Board. The board meets online three times a year and works on a voluntary basis.
The Advisory Board is intended to further strengthen Mission 21's work for gender justice and to increase its international focus at the strategic level.
Dr. Claudia Hoffmann, Pastor
President
Claudia Hoffmann, studied theology at the theological faculty of the University of Zurich. After her studies and vicariate, she worked for three years as a pastor in a Protestant Reformed parish in Zurich.
From 2012 to 2023, she worked as an assistant at the Basel Faculty of Theology in the Department of Non-European Christianity (Mission and Ecumenical Studies). Today, she is coordinator for religious affairs at the Canton of Basel-Stadt. Claudia Hoffmann has been a member of the Board of Mission 21 since 2018 and a member of the Commission for Women and Gender from 2012 to 2022.
Her involvement with Mission 21 gives her the opportunity to gain in-depth insight into a mission organization and to advocate for the special concerns of women worldwide.
Roland Plattner-Steinmann, Dr. iur. utr.
Vice President
Roland Plattner is a trained lawyer with many years of experience in administration as well as a lecturer.
After various positions in the public administration (most recently as Secretary General of the Education, Culture and Sports Department of the Canton of Basel-Landschaft), he joined the Evangelical Reformed Church of the Canton of Basel-Landschaft in 2015 as Head of Church and Community Development. In various stages of his career, he was also involved in international development tasks (SDC, Osthilfe Schweiz/Ukraine) and as a legal advisor with military peacebuilding in the international network.
He volunteers as president of the Winterhilfe Basel-Land, the BIRMANN Foundation and Armenerziehungsverein BL, as well as the Swiss Association for Protestant Church Law (SVEK). Since 2020 Roland is a member of the boards of Basler Mission and Mission 21.
Ira Imelda
Women's Coordinator Asia
Ira Imelda is an ordained minister of Pasundan Christian Church (GKP) and works at Pasundan Durebang Women's Crisis Center in Bandung. She has been working on gender justice issues since her graduation in 1997.
She has also contributed to journals and books, conducted research related to gender mainstreaming in politics, and actively advocated for gender equality and social inclusion at the national level, in West Java province, and in the cities and districts of Bandung.
From 2019 to 2023, she was a member of the national steering committee of a service forum for women who are victims of gender-based violence. She is also involved in teaching and is a co-supervisor in counselor training with the Association of Psychospiritual Counselors in Indonesia. In December 2021, she was elected coordinator of the Asian Fellowship.
Paska Nimiriano
Women's Coordinator Africa
Paska Nimiriano holds a bachelor's degree in theology and is the lead pastor of the Anywuak community in South Sudan. Over the years, she has participated in a variety of workshops on implementing peace processes and advocating for human rights in the context of faith-based institutions. Over the past decade, Paska Nimiriano has worked with women's empowerment, trauma healing, and reconciliation work to help women overcome their past. She has also been involved in conducting leadership trainings for women and youth and organizing workshops on agricultural techniques, sewing and handicrafts.
She is the Women's Coordinator in the Continental Assembly of the Synod of Mission 21.
Ruth Vindas Benavidas
Women's Coordinator Latin America
Ruth Vindas Benavidas has a degree in Theological Sciences from UBL.
She is an ordained minister in the Baptist Churches of Costa Rica and has worked for many years in the Baptist Federation in the preparation of materials for Christian education.
Her area of expertise is pedagogy and Christian education and she works primarily with youth and women.
Ruth Vindas Benavides currently works as a professor at UBL. In addition to her teaching duties, she heads the Editorial and Publications Department and acts as a chaplain for students.
She is the Women's Coordinator in the Continental Assembly of the Synod of Mission 21.
Mónica Treviño Álvarez
External gender expert
Mónica Treviño Álvarez is a queer feminist theologian from Mexico.
In her work, she focuses on LGBTIQ+ issues in a religious context.
She gives courses and writes books for young people on LGBTIQ+ issues and works with women's groups on the subject of abortion. Her main area of work is spiritual violence against queer people.
She has a master's degree in gender studies and theology and is a graduate of Human Rights and Peace Studies.
Evelyne Zinsstag
External gender expert
Evelyne Zinsstag studied feminist theology and has been pastor of the Église française réformée de Bâle since 2018.
During her studies she worked at Mission 21 and since then she is also very involved in intercultural theology. She is a member of Tsena Malalaka, the intercontinental network of feminist theologians, and on the board of EFECW (Ecumenical Forum of European Christian Women) and IG feminist theologians.
From 2016-2022, she was a member of Mission 21's Women and Gender Commission.
Matthias Luterbach
External gender expert
Matthias Luterbach is currently doing his doctorate at the University of Basel on the topic of masculinities and, as an assistant in the Department of Gender Studies, is responsible for coordinating teaching in the subject. He is also a board member of the Swiss Society for Gender Studies (SGGF) and co-initiator and member of the working group Transformation of Masculinities.
Previously, he was a member of the Equal Opportunities Commission Basel-Stadt, as well as a research assistant in various research projects.
His work focuses on critical research on men and masculinity(s), transformation of family life forms, couple relationships and gender relations, critical social and gender theory, feminist theory/criticism, and qualitative social research.
Ruth Ketsia Wangkei
External gender expert
Ruth Ketsia Wangkei was ordained as a pastor in the Minahasa Evangelical Christian Church (GMIM) in 1984. After receiving her master's degree in theology, she worked as a lecturer at the Faculty of Theology of Indonesian Christian University in Tomohon from 1992-2015. Being interested in feminist theology, she joined PERUATI
(The Association of Theologically Educated Women in Indonesia), where she was elected Chair of the National Board in 2011. Since 2019, she has been involved with PERUATI's work as a National Advisor.
In addition to PERUATI, Ruth Ketsia Wangkei is also involved in feminist, multicultural, and journalism issues, as well as grassroots movements against violence against women and children. She is also involved with the Tomohon Family Learning Center, which advocates for LGBTQI+ human rights locally and nationally.
Her primary interests are gender justice, feminist theology, women's human rights, and other advocacy.
Rivka Schunk
Women's Coordinator Europe
Rivka Schunk studied theology and Jewish studies and is an ordained Evangelical Lutheran pastor. Since 2021, she has been working as a research assistant in the theology department at the Lutheran World Federation, where she is also committed to strengthening the global network of Lutheran women through programmatic work on human rights and gender justice. In the Württemberg Regional Church, she is a member of the GAW-Württemberg women's work steering committee and will be working as a pastor in the city of Heilbronn again from January 2024.
Prior to this, she worked as a research assistant at the Chair of New Testament and Ancient Judaism in Tübingen and has been involved in a self-founded association for educational sponsorships in Paraguay since her voluntary service there.
She is the Women's Coordinator in the Continental Assembly of the Synod of Mission 21.
Ilona Paganoni
External gender expert
Ilona Paganoni holds a master's degree in international development and has several years of professional experience in development work, project and knowledge management, and cross-cultural leadership.
Her work focuses on sustainable social change through impact-based programming and strengthening local communities. She previously worked for Swissaid and the United Nations and currently works as a quality manager at Caritas.
Women and Gender Unit
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