James Bridge
SINCE 2011
Chief Executive and Secretary-General
James runs the UK’s National Commission for UNESCO (UKNC) and represents it as Secretary-General at UNESCO headquarters and to its 193 member states. The UKNC received an A+ rating in 2020 for the sixth year in a row. He works with the UK’s UNESCO sites and designations and the global network of 199 National Commissions for UNESCO, and was an Alternate Member of the UNESCO Executive Board for the UK from 2013 – 2019.
James worked on EU Trade and Partnership Agreements with the Majority Leader on Trade at the European Parliament, including human rights clauses; in the policy co-coordination unit for the Secretariat-General of the European Commission; and the UK Financial Services Authority; ran local, national and regional policy, outreach and campaigns for Age Concern with its European Federation; and the 300,000 member plus Royal College of Nursing, where he wrote its first policy position paper on nursing and human rights. He ran the Brussels offices of the Law Societies, Save the Children International, MHA Associates and the start up Internet company I-Wave Limited.