Expertise

He led UNESCO’s global literacy initiatives, including the United Nations Literacy Decade (UNLD) and UNESCO’s global literacy programme, Literacy Initiative for Empowerment (LIFE). In Afghanistan, in 2008, he established Empowerment of Literacy in Afghanistan (ELA), the largest UNESCO literacy project in its history, benefiting predominantly women, with hundreds of thousands impacted.

Moved to UNESCO’s New Delhi Office in 2012, played a crucial role in promoting SDG4 and fostering sub-regional cooperation within SAARC. As UNESCO Regional Director for Asia-Pacific, he served 46 Member States, focusing on education, science, culture, and communication programs for SDG achievement at regional and national levels.

Globally known researcher on comparative education, education policies of developing countries, internationalization of higher education, and Education for Sustainable Development (ESD). Worked in the Education Sector of UNESCO Headquarters and taught at Nagoya University and Sophia University. Also, he served as a Fulbright Scholar at George Washington University, a Visiting Professor at the University of Dhaka in Bangladesh, and a Special Advisor to the Rector of the Royal University of Phnom Penh. He received the 14^th JSPS Prize, one of the highest honors for young scholars in Japan, and the Honorary Doctorate in Social Sciences from Stockholm University.

UNESCO Chairholder on Education for Human Dignity, Peace, and Sustainability at Sophia University. Served as President of the Japan Comparative Education Society, Board Member of the World Council of Comparative Education Societies, Member of the Central Council for Education in Japan, the Japan National Commission for UNESCO, and the International Expert Group on the revision of the 1974 Recommendation by UNESCO. Her research interests include international higher education,  Education for Sustainable Development (ESD), and Multicultural Education. She serves as a Visiting Professor at the United Nations University Institute for the Advanced Study of Sustainability and a Visiting Research Fellow at JICA Ogata Institute for Peace and Development.

Served as Deputy Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Education, Secretary-General of the Thai National Commission for UNESCO, Inspector-General, and Director-General of Regional Education Offices in Regions 16, 14, and 13 of the Ministry of Education of Thailand.

She has been highly involved in many international meetings/conferences, in particular, ASEAN, SEAMEO, and UNESCO activities.

Currently, she serves as Director of the SEAMEO Regional Centre for Sufficiency Economy Philosophy for Sustainability or SEAMEO SEPS, based in Bangkok, Thailand.  At the same time, she was serving as Special Adviser to the Ministry of Education of Thailand and the Thai National Commission for UNESCO.

Currently based in Thailand and organizes various inquiry-based and project-based learning programs in education and development where many students, researchers, and professionals participate. From 1998 to 2014, he served as a Special Appointee at the World Bank (WB) in the U.S.A., a Professor at the Graduate School of International Development at Nagoya University in Japan, a Principal Education Specialist at the Asian Development Bank (ABD) at the Philippines.

Belgian international lawyer.

From 1984 to 2015, he contributed to developing international conventions for protecting cultural heritage (armed conflicts, illicit traffic, underwater, and World heritage) at UNESCO. He also served as Representative to Cambodia, Deputy Director for field coordination in Paris, Deputy Director of the Regional Bureau in Bangkok, and Director of Pacific States in Apia. In parallel, he was an Associate Professor (part-time) at the Law Faculty of the University of Lille (France) and Science Po Lille from 2006 to 2019.

He is based in Thailand and actively promotes cultural heritage through advisory services to governments, lectures, and publications.

He joined UNESCO in 1987 and has been primarily working on conserving historical sites in South and Central Asia. In 2005, moved to the UNESCO World Heritage Centre, Paris, he served as Chief of Communication and Partnerships and later in charge of Museums, Creativity, and International Cultural Conventions (Conventions of 1954, 1970, 2001 and the Intergovernmental Committee for Return and Restitution of Cultural Property). In August 2014, he was appointed as UNESCO’s representative to Nepal, and in October 2021 to Vietnam.  Currently supporting Hanoi City in World Heritage as Advisor.

Having worked for a private sector and a foundation, she joined the National Federation of UNESCO Associations in Japan (NFUAJ) in 1994. Contributed to various domestic and international programmes promoting education and culture. Served as Secretary General of NFUAJ, she enhanced the domestic and worldwide partnerships among the UNESCO associations, and promoted public-private-partnership (PPP) for UNESCO programmes in Japan and beyond.

Having served as Programme Specialist at UNESCO from 2002 to 2011, she assisted States Parties to the Convention concerning the Protection of the World Cultural and Natural Heritage, notably in Asia and Africa, in preparing World Heritage nominations, site management plans, and restoration projects. In academia, her research work is appreciated globally in international governance of cultural heritage, urban identity, and cultural policies for sustainable development, and also contributed as author and editor in several publications, including The Future of the Bamiyan Buddha Statues (Springer, 2020) and Post-trauma and the Recovery Governance of Cultural Heritage (Springer, 2022).

Specialized in aesthetics with a focus on 20th-century French existential thought.

Also, his research covers theater and Greek philosophy together.
In particular, recent research focuses on creativity, imagination, and relationships established through the arts.

Member of the Japanese Society for Aesthetics.

He established the Thai Tokyo Ink in Bangkok in 2008 and significantly expanded its business as President. Tokyo Printing Inc Mfg. is one of the leading companies in Japan dealing with specialty chemicals, including printing inks, color, and additive concentrates for newspapers, books, packaging materials, automobiles, and consumer electronics.

Mindful of Agenda 2030, he has been promoting corporate social responsibility (CSR) to contribute to attaining SDGs through unique innovations in Thailand.

Majored in Economics.

He was vice president of a student organization promoting soft skills education in Japan. Currently working at Futures Inc. as a consulting advisor to lecture on such global issues as carbon reduction management and environmental economics.

He develops many of PBD’s visual images.

As a well-known career diplomat in Asia, HE Ambassador also serves as a Non-resident Ambassador to the Republic of Indonesia and Malaysia.

Before the current assignment, he had academic and official positions, including Associate Professor at the School of Law, National University of Mongolia, and Director-General at the Department of International Law and Treaty Department of International Legal Affairs, Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Ambassador of the Republic of Maldives to the Kingdom of Thailand and also the (Non-Resident) Ambassador of Maldives to Vietnam, Cambodia, and Lao PDR (2019-2023).

Involved in political work including being a member of the Transition Sub-Committee on State Owned Enterprises during the Maldives’ government transition period in 2018. A non-career diplomat and an entrepreneur and business development strategist with extensive international exposure through international business and travel experience in commercial engagements, with over 20 years of

experience in the private sector, managing diverse organizations and enterprises in an array of business areas.

Internationally well-known researcher. Being President of the International Council on Monuments and Sites (ICOMOS) from 2017 to 2020, he significantly contributed to the conservation and protection of cultural heritage places worldwide in collaboration with UNESCO. A Senior Advisor to ICOMOS Japan. A senior fellow of the International Research Center for Intangible Cultural Heritage in the Asia-Pacific Region under the Auspices of UNESCO (RICI). A titular member of the International Academy of Comparative Law, and a board member of the International Academy of Commercial and Consumer Law. An awardee of the Raimer- Lüst Prize of the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation and the Fritz-Thyssen Foundation in 2019.

Adjunct Professor at the HEC Montréal (Québec), Canada.

He served the Asia Broadcasting Union (ABU) as Secretary-General for 13 years until March 2023.  In Nov. 2022, he received a lifetime achievement award and was appointed ABU Honorary Councillor.

Before the ABU, he was Director of the Asia-Pacific Institute for Broadcasting Development (AIBD) for 12 years and delivered 1,000 media training initiatives. He received the “Special Lifetime Achievement Award” in May 2010. He also received the Elizabeth R. Award for Exceptional Contribution to Public Service Broadcasting in 2009.

Dr Mottaghi has 44 years of experience in media.

Working with internal and external stakeholders, she has been leading technical support and advocacy to promote health and social system transformation in Member States in the region and address the needs of an ageing population. Before WHO WPRO, she worked for the UNAIDS Country Office for Myanmar and the WHO Regional Office for Southeast Asia in various technical capacities related to Strategic Information, Health Systems, and Human Resources for Health and Healthy Ageing.