Francesco Bandarin is the UNESCO Assistant Director-General for Culture.

From 2000 to 2010 he was Director of the UNESCO World Heritage Centre and Secretary of the World Heritage Convention. From 2010 to 2014 he served as Assistant Director-General of UNESCO for Culture. He was re-appointed in this position for an interim period until February, 2018.

In 2014, he was appointed President of the Jury of the Venice Architecture Biennale, curated by Rem Koolhaas and President of the Jury of the First Shenzhen Creative Design Award (SCDA).

He is President of the Italian Association of Historic Cities (ANCSA), member of the Visiting Committee of the Getty Conservation Institute in Los Angeles and member of the Steering Committee of the Aga Khan Award for Architecture.

He holds degrees in Architecture (IUAV Venice) and City and Regional Planning (UC Berkeley). He has been Professor of Urban planning and Urban Conservation at the University of Venice (IUAV) from 1980 to 2000.

His recent publications include: The Historic Urban Landscape: Managing Heritage in an Urban Century, 2012 and Reconnecting the City. The Historic Urban Landscape Approach and the Future of Urban Heritage, 2015, both published by Wiley-Blackwell.