Emilia Ismael

Maria Emilia Ismael is an Argentine global governance advocate who served as Executive Coordinator of Democracia Global (Global Democracy), an independent, pluralistic civil society organization based in Buenos Aires. The organization works to advance democratic institutions at the regional, continental, and global levels, either by reforming existing bodies or by creating new ones, on the premise that global problems and crises require global solutions beyond national representation alone. As Executive Coordinator, Ismael helped run the organization’s programs alongside Executive Director Camila Lopez Badra and a team of educational advisers and volunteer coordinators. Her work spanned two of Democracia Global’s signature campaigns: the United Nations Parliamentary Assembly (UNPA) initiative, which calls for directly representative parliamentary oversight at the UN, and COPLA, the campaign for a Latin American Criminal Court against Transnational Organized Crime. She was closely involved in the organization’s youth and education efforts, including a Model United Nations Parliamentary Assembly simulation developed with students at the University of Belgrano, which culminated in a session held in the Argentine Congress in 2019. Writing for Mondial with co-author Clara Subirachs, a Democracia Global volunteer coordinator, Ismael described how Model UNPA exercises can give young people direct experience of representation at the global level and build support for democratic reform of the United Nations, linking that work to climate and environmental concerns. Her contributions reflect the world federalist movement’s emphasis on civic education, youth participation, and stronger, more democratic global institutions.