Mr. Joon Oh is a veteran diplomat and global leader in human rights, international development and multilateral diplomacy, with over four decades of distinguished public service. He currently serves as Chairperson of Save the Children Korea and the Korea NGO Council on the Rights of the Child. He is also a Distinguished Professor at the Graduate School of Peace and Welfare at Kyung Hee University and an Invited Professor at the KDI School of Public Policy and Management.

Mr. Oh began his diplomatic career in 1978 after passing Korea’s Foreign Service Examination. He held several senior positions at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, including Director-General for Multilateral Diplomacy. From 2010 to 2013, he served as Ambassador of the Republic of Korea to Singapore, and from 2013 to 2016, as Permanent Representative to the United Nations in New York. During his tenure at the UN, he held several key leadership roles, including President of the UN Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) and Chair of the Conference of States Parties to the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD).

He also chaired the UN Disarmament Commission and the Missile Technology Control Regime (MTCR), and served as a member of the High-Level Panel on DAC Reform at the OECD. In May 2014, he served as President of the UN Security Council. In addition to his diplomatic work, Ambassador Oh has been deeply engaged in academic and policy advisory roles. He has served as a policy advisor to the National Human Rights Commission of Korea, KOICA, and various civil society organizations. He was also a Visiting Fellow at the S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies (RSIS) at Nanyang Technological University in Singapore and served as a high-level advisor to the UN Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP).

Mr. Oh holds a B.A. in French Language and Literature from Seoul National University and an M.A. in International Policy Studies from Stanford University. His numerous honors include the Order of Service Merit (Green Stripe) in 1996 and the Order of Service Merit (Yellow Stripe) in 2006 for his contributions to Korea’s multilateral diplomacy, as well as awards from international organizations for his leadership in human rights and disability advocacy.

With a lifelong commitment to global cooperation and social justice, Ambassador Oh continues to champion inclusive development, children’s rights, and peace through leadership, advocacy, and mentorship.