Ms. Paolini holds Master’s degrees in Architecture (1989) and in Urban and Regional Planning for Developing Countries (1991) from the Istituto Universitario di Architettura di Venezia (University Institute of Architecture of Venice), Italy, a post-graduate degree on Development Cooperation (1990) from the Faculty of Political Science of the University of Trieste, as well as a Ph.D in Urban and Territorial Engineering (1995) from the Faculty of Engineering, University of Bologna, Italy. Ms. Paolini has also carried out post-doctoral studies as a Research Affiliate at the Centre for Near East Studies at the University of California, Los Angeles (1999).
In November 1992, Ms. Paolini joined UNESCO initially as an Associate Expert with the UNESCO Office in Amman, and later transferred to the Division of Cultural Heritage within the Culture sector (CLT/CH) at UNESCO Headquarters. Between 2006 and 2007, Ms. Paolini worked with the Section for Museum and Cultural Objects with the Culture Sector, tasked with operational as well as capacity building activities, including training in cooperation with the International Council of Museums (ICOM) and the International Centre for the Study of the Preservation and Restoration of Cultural Property (ICCROM).
From 2007 – 2009, Ms. Paolini headed the UNESCO Offices in Tashkent and assumed the responsibilities of the Organization’s Representative to Uzbekistan. In 2009 she was appointed as the Head of Office and UNESCO Representative in Amman with overall responsibilities over Science, Education, Culture and Communications and Information programs. Ms. Paolini is a member of the International Council of Museums (ICOM) and the Italian Association of Professional Architects.
a.paolini@unesco.org