Gonzalo Bell BIO
I was born in Buenos Aires, Argentina. I have gone through many stages in my professional life, from working in the corporate world after obtaining a Master in Business, to a career in non-profit organizations.
At the end of 2006, while working for UNICEF’s regional office in Panama, my life changed completely. I decided to focus 100% of my time on photography. At that time, as a personal initiative, I founded and coordinated a community base project for children in a marginal afro community in Panama City. This experience gave me access to the families and started to make photographs more systematically.
Since then, I have worked as a freelance photographer covering humanitarian and development issues for more than 15 years. I’ve been commissioned in more than 35 countries in Latin America, Europe, Africa, Asia, Middle East and Oceania. During this time I have worked extensively for UN Agencies, such as UNICEF, UNFPA, UNWOMEN, UNDP, IOM, OCHA, WHO, and local and international NGOs.
I am also an experienced Corporate Event Photographer. For the last decade I’ve been travelling extensively through europe. Main working cities: Berlin, Frankfurt, Amsterdam, Glasgow, London, Prague, Brno, Vienna, Accra.
Most relevant commissions taken:
– UNFPA Nepal. Two weeks travelling documenting UNFPA’s projects in the country.
– UNFPA Uganda: Documented refugees from South Sudan.
– UNICEF Eswatini. Two weeks travelling throughout the country documenting main projects.
– UNDP Comoros: Photography reportage documenting their country projects
– UNFPA El Salvador: Photo-reportage of women victims of violence by men.
– UN WOMEN Lebanon: Coverage of income generating initiatives for Syrian refugees.
– WHO Lebanon: Coverage of WHO’s main projects implemented in Beirut.
– Anera NGO Lebanon: Document two refugee camps of Syrian refugees.
– UNFPA Tanzania: National photo exhibition – Female Genital mutilation & Child Marriage),
– UNICEF Romania: Covering country program focuses on Roma and other minority groups.
– UNICEF Azerbaijan: Covering country program focuses on children with disabilities.
– UNDP Malawi: Document country program & deliver a Photo workshop for UN staff.
– UNICEF Papua New Guinea: Three-week assignment covering country programs.
– Virlanie Philippines 2018: Coverage of street children conditions
– UNICEF Rwanda: Coverage country programs and Photo workshop for UN staff.
– CBM Bangladesh: Coverage flood emergency.
– ADRA Bangladesh: Covering Cyclone Mora in Cox’s Bazar, south of Bangladesh.
– UN WOMEN Nepal 2017: Visited communities documenting their living conditions.
– I-India, India: Local NGO working for street children in Jaipur, Rajasthan.
– Don Bosco, India: Documented the work done with street children in Jaipur, Rajasthan.
– Malteser-International Critical situation of Syrian refugees in Turkey, close to Syrian border.
– UNICEF: Document Disaster Reduction programs in Georgia, Kazakhstan & Kyrgyzstan.
– Slovakia: Visited Roma people documenting their poor living conditions.
– Morocco: Worked for a NGO in Marrakesh on street children.
– UN Resident coordinator Panama: Coverage of all UN agencies programs in the country.
– UNICEF Bolivia: Documented health programs. Visited hospitals and health centres.
– IOM Haiti: Documented flood & mud emergency that seriously affected Gonaives.
– UNICEF Ecuador: Coverage flood emergency in the south of the country.
– UNICEF Dominican Republic: Coverage of Tropical Storm Noel.
– UNICEF Nicaragua 2008: Coverage of Hurricane Felix.
– UNICEF LACRO: Visited Panama, Nicaragua, Costa Rica, El Salvador, D. Republic, Cuba
– Norwegian Refugee Council Panama: Colombian refugees seeking asylum in Panama.
– IOM Panama: Colombian refugees in the Darien province.
Photography workshops:
I have delivered photography training mainly for UN Agencies. They are designed for staff that need to work on the “field” and bring compelling images of the visited projects. They can be either for the staff of a particular Agency in a specific country (the case of UNICEF in Romania, or UNFPA in Ghana), or an UN Interagency Training with the participation of most agencies (the case of Rwanda, Eswatini and Malawi).
