Yuri Belfali leads the work of the Directorate for Education and Skills in the field of early childhood education and care, and international comparative studies of education systems. She oversees large scale surveys including the Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA), Teaching and Learning International Survey programme (TALIS). She also manages thematic policy analyses and supports education systems and schools to develop policies and innovations for better learning and well-being of learners.
Ms. Belfali spent the last 20 years in France, the US, and in several countries of SouthEast Asia, Africa and Middle East and North Africa regions. Before joining her current organization, she worked for UNICEF as Chief of the Education Section in Morocco and the World Bank in the field of human development between 2002 and 2012. She had a leadership role in advising governments for education reforms and gender mainstreaming. Ms. Belfali, a Japanese national, holds a Master’s degree in International Educational Administration and Policy Analysis from Stanford University.
