Irina Bokova, born on 12 July 1952 in Sofia (Bulgaria), has been two terms the Director-General of UNESCO from 2009 to 2917. She is the first woman and the first Eastern European to lead the Organization. Having graduated from Moscow State Institute of International Relations, Irina Bokova was a Fellow at the University of Maryland, Washington, and followed an executive program at the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University. She began her career at the United Nations Department at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Bulgaria. She was elected twice Member of Parliament and served as First Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs and Government's first Secretary for European affairs. Before being elected as Director General of UNESCO, from 2005 to 2009 Irina Bokova was Ambassador of Bulgaria to France, Monaco and UNESCO and Personal Representative of the President of the Republic of Bulgaria to the Organisation Internationale de la Francophonie. As Director-General of UNESCO, Irina Bokova was actively engaged in the UN efforts to adopt Agenda 2030 for Sustainable Development, including quality education for all, gender equality, the protection of the world’s cultural heritage. She actively promotes culture as a driver for development, along with science and innovation. She was particularly active in defence of cultural heritage in conflict in Mali, Syria and Iraq and in denouncing extremists’ destruction of heritage as a tool of war. As a result, the UN Security Council adopted several land mark resolutions on the link between maintaining  peace and security and the protection of heritage, including the historic Resolution 2347 in March 2017. Irina Bokova was on the Forbes List of the world's most influential women for 2016. She has received state distinctions from more than 40 countries across the world and is Doctor honoris causa of leading universities across the world. Currently, she is a Member of the Board of Ban Ki Moon Centre for Global Citizens, Honorary Dean of the Humanitas College and Honorary Professor of Peace Studies, of Kyung-Hee University Seoul, Member of the Concordia Leadership Council, New York, Member of the Strategic Committee of the Paris School of International Affairs /PSIA/, Member of Leaders For Peace, NGO chaired by Former PM of France, Jean-Pierre Raffarin, Chair of the International Advisory Council of the Beijing Hermitage Art Foundation, Beijing, among others. In addition to her mother tongue, she speaks English, French, Spanish and Russian.