Visiting Professor of Environmental Biotechnology and UNESCO Regional Director and Representative

Prof. Hubert Gijzen (PhD)

Prof. Hubert Gijzen holds a PhD in Biotechnology, and has an established career of over 38 years in both academics and international cooperation for sustainable development. Throughout his career, he has lived and worked in various countries in Africa, Asia, Latin America, and Europe, in a range of senior functions as Full Professor and Chair in Universities, as a Diplomat, Team Leader, Regional Representative, and currently as UNESCO Regional Director and Representative.

Besides his current work for UNESCO, he continues to hold academic positions as full Professor of Environmental Biotechnology at IHE Delft Institute for Water Education (since 1995) and other institutions. Hubert has published over 400 articles and books, and presented numerous keynotes in the fields of water management, microbiology, environmental sciences, biotechnology, and sanitary and environmental engineering. He also covered topics on international cooperation, sustainable development, the MDGs, SDGs, big data and climate change. He served in various international advisory functions and on Boards of prestigious Institutes and programmes.

Hubert joined the UN in 2006 as the Director of the UNESCO Regional Science Bureau for Asia and the Pacific. In 2015, Hubert was appointed as the Regional Director of the newly established UNESCO Regional Office for Southern Africa in Harare, Zimbabwe. He also serves as the UNESCO Representative to Botswana, Eswatini, Lesotho, Malawi, South Africa, Zambia, and Zimbabwe. He is the UNESCO Representative to SADC, serves on the UN Regional Directors Team and is member of the UN Regional Coordination Platform.