The UNESCO Chairs program was conceived as a way to advance research, training and programme development in higher education by building university networks and encouraging inter-university cooperation through transfer of knowledge across borders.
The program was established in 1992 following the decision taken at the 26th session of the General Conference of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).
As of May 2024, the programme involves some 950 institutions in 120 countries.[1]
| Name | Nationality | UNESCO Chair | Institution | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Amitav Acharya | Indian-born Canadian | UNESCO Chair in Transnational Challenges and Governance | American University | |
| Saied Reza Ameli | Iranian | UNESCO Chair on Cyberspace and Culture | University of Tehran | |
| Graciela Chichilnisky | Argentine-American | UNESCO Professor of Mathematics and Economics | Columbia University | 1995–2008 |
| Levon Chookaszian | Armenian | UNESCO Chair of Armenian Art History | Yerevan State University | |
| George P. Chrousos | Greek | UNESCO Chair on Adolescent Health Care | University of Athens | |
| Robin Coningham | British | UNESCO Chair in Archaeological Ethics and Practice in Cultural Heritage | Durham University | 2014–present |
| Ali Akbar Moosavi-Movahedi | Iranian | UNESCO Chair on Interdisciplinary Research in Diabetes | University of Tehran | 2014–present |
| Norman Davies | British-Polish | Jagiellonian University | –2012 | |
| Wolfgang Dietrich | Austrian | UNESCO Chair for Peace Studies | University of Innsbruck | 2008–present |
| Miguel Angel Escotet | UNESCO Chair on History and Future of The university | Emeritus | ||
| Nezameddin Faghih | Iranian | UNESCO Chair in Entrepreneurship | University of Tehran | |
| Luciano Floridi | Italian | UNESCO Chair in Information and Computer Ethics | University of Hertfordshire | 2008–2013 |
| Alexander Hinton | UNESCO Chair in Genocide Prevention | Rutgers University | 2013–present | |
| Richard Hotte | Canadian | UNESCO Chair in Global Smart Disruptive Learning | Université TÉLUQ | 2018–present |
| İoanna Kuçuradi | Turkish | UNESCO Chair of Philosophy | Maltepe University | 1998–present |
| Steffen Lehmann | German | UNESCO Chair in Sustainable Urban Development for Asia and the Pacific | University of Newcastle | 2008–2010 |
| Jean Paul Lehners | Luxembourgish | UNESCO Chair in Human Rights | University of Luxembourg | 2011–present |
| Colin J. McInnes | British | UNESCO Chair in HIV/AIDS Education and Health Security in Africa | Aberystwyth University | 2007–present |
| Alberto Melloni | Italian | UNESCO Chair for Religious Pluralism and Peace | University of Modena and Reggio Emilia | |
| Aída Mencía Ripley | Dominican | UNESCO Chair on Social and Academic Inclusion for People with Disabilities and Special Education Needs | Universidad Iberoamericana (UNIBE) | |
| Robert J. Naiman | American | UNESCO Chair in Sustainable Rivers | University of Washington | |
| Gerard Niyungeko | Burundian | UNESCO Chair in Education for Peace and Conflicts Resolution | University of Burundi | |
| Florin Popențiu Vlădicescu | Romanian | UNESCO Chair in Information and Communication Engineering | City, University of London | 1998–present |
| Kartikeya Sarabhai | Indian | UNESCO Chair on Education for Sustainable Development and the Human Habitat | Centre for Environment Education | |
| Ann Skelton | South African | UNESCO Chair in Education Law in Africa | University of Pretoria | 2013–present[2] |
| Christine Volkmann | German | UNESCO Chair for Entrepreneurship and Intercultural Management | University of Wuppertal | 2005–present |
| Daniel A. Wagner | American | UNESCO Chair in Learning and Literacy | University of Pennsylvania | 2012–present |
| Sylvia Walby | British | UNESCO Chair in Gender Research | Lancaster University | 2008–present |
| Umar Saif | Pakistani | UNESCO Chair in Information and communication Technology for Development | Information Technology University | 2018–present |
| Vojin Rakić | Serbian | UNESCO Chair in Bioethics | University of Belgrade | 2015–present |
| Alison Phipps | British | UNESCO Chair in Refugee Integration through Languages and Arts | University of Glasgow | 2016–present |
| Patrizio Bianchi | Italian | UNESCO Chair in Education, Growth and Equality.[3] | University of Ferrara | 2020–present |
| Damilola Sunday Olawuyi | Nigerian | UNESCO Chair on Environmental Law and Sustainable Development | Hamad Bin Khalifa University | 2022–present.[4] |
| Prof. Syed Javaid Zaidi | Canadian | UNESCO Chair in desalination and water treatment | Qatar University's CAM | 2022-present[5] |
| Prof.Ponnumony Vethamony | Indian | UNESCO Chair in marine sciences[6][7] | Qatar University's ESC | 2020-present |
