Francesco Bandarin is an Architect and Planner specialised in urban conservation. He was Director of the UNESCO World Heritage Centre (2000-2010) and served as Assistant Director-General of UNESCO for Culture (2010-2018). He is Member of the International Advisory Council of ALIPH, of the Advisory Committee of the Smithsonian Center for Folklife and Cultural Heritage, and Founding Member of OurWorldHeritage. He teaches at SciencesPo in Paris and advises governments and heritage conservation projects internationally.