Ms. DUONG Bich Hanh joined the UNESCO Regional Office for East Asia in August 2022 to manage the UNESCO culture program in Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, China, Japan, Mongolia and Republic of Korea. Prior to this, she spent 13 years at the UNESCO Hanoi and Bangkok Offices, supporting the Mekong countries to implement UNESCO’s six cultural conventions and promoting the role of culture and creativity in sustainable development. She also directed a number of UNESCO Asia-Pacific regional programs such as the Asia-Pacific Awards for Cultural Heritage Conservation, and was involved in the conceptualization and implementation of new initiatives like the UNESCO Competence Framework for Heritage Management, Teaching and Learning with Living Heritage, and TechCul – enhancing the role of digital technology for culture.
Ms. DUONG started her career in 1994 working with non-government organizations, international organizations, research institutes and universities on various issues concerning indigenous peoples, community development, public health, heritage safeguarding and social research. She received her Doctorate Degree in Anthropology and Master of Public Administration from the University of Washington in 2006.