Misako Ito is a specialist of information and communication with 20 years of experience working in the UN and development organizations in Africa, Europe, Arab States and Asia. Prior to joining UNESCO in Nairobi as a Regional Adviser for Africa, she worked at UNESCO Office in Bangkok where she led the Memory of the World programme in Asia and the Pacific. During the post-Arab Spring period, she advised the Government of Morocco and Tunisia for the reform of the media sector, the legislation on freedom of information and the participation of women and youth in public policies. Misako is Japanese and she is an engineer in information technology graduated from HEC School of Management and Mines ParisTech in France. Before joining UNESCO, she worked for the French Development Agency and the Institute of Research for Development in Western and Central Africa.