MR. JOÃO RIBEIRO was the former Head of UNCITRAL’s Regional Centre for Asia and the Pacific.

He is a Portuguese national that during his career was Head of International Affairs of the Ministry of Justice of Portugal, Deputy Secretary General of the Conferences of Ministers of Justice both of the Iberian-American countries and of the Portuguese Speaking countries, member of the Portuguese National Commission for Human Rights and member of the Portuguese Permanent Bilateral Cooperation Commissions with the USA and Macau.

He led national delegations in several international organizations: European Committee on Crime Problems (CDPC) and GRECO (Europe’s Groups of States against Corruption), Council of Europe; 36th Committee of the Council (CATS) of the European Union; OECD’s Working group on Bribery in International Business Transactions, being also a member of its Management Group in 2011.

He holds a Law Degree from the University of Coimbra and a Master’s Degree from the Universities of Coimbra and Macau. During his first experience in Asia (2002-2008) he was legal adviser to the Secretary for Social Affairs and Culture of the Government of the Macau Special Administrative Region and a senior lecturer at the Faculties of Law, Management and of Social and Human Sciences of the University of Macau where he taught International Law, International Business Law, Business Law, Economic Integration Law, Constitutional Law and Chinese Political System.