Gwang-Jo Kim, Director UNESCO Bangkok
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Born in the Republic of Korea, Mr. Kim holds a B.A. degree in Public Administration from Korea University, Seoul (1978), a Master’s degree (1984) and a Ph.D. (1994) in Education from Harvard University, U.S.A.
Mr. Kim has worked in various capacities for the Government of the Republic of Korea. As Deputy Minister of Education and Human Resources, he initiated the “Global Human Resources Forum”, aimed at providing an international platform for sharing information, knowledge and best practices in human resources issues among leaders.
He also worked in the Office of the President of the Republic of Korea, where he assisted former President Young Sam Kim in the fields of education and social policy.
Mr. Kim also played a key role in an education reform initiative that aimed to restructure the entire Korean educational system. While at the World Bank in Washington D.C. as a Senior Education Specialist, Mr. Kim acquired widespread international expertise, coordination, networking and overall programmatic management and delivery skills.
He is a member of various professional associations on education policy, finance and economics, and has published works in education and ICT, and educational reform.
Mr. Kim was officially appointed on 19 January 2009. He succeeds Mr. Sheldon Shaeffer who retired on 31 December 2008.
