Paul Walton

Biographical Information

Paul Walton has extensive international experience in the arena of education development, good governance, social enterprise and strategic fund-raising. He is currently Head of Institutional Affairs and Communications at the Egypt-based intergovernmental institution 'Anna Lindh Mediterranean Foundation', and Chair of the Board of Governors of The British School, Alexandria, under the patronage of H.M. Consul-General to Alexandria.Paul began his international career as Founding Director of the Millennium Project 'Youth 2000', supported world-wide by the British Council, British Foreign Office and UNESCO. The Project, which took him across 5 continents to build a network of youth groups and education institutions in some of the planet's most marginalised communities, was commended in 2001 by the British Prime Minister for its impact on global citizenship learning.Following that, Paul took up the post of Executive Director of 'Global Voice', an international NGO working in the fields of education, training and social enterprise development. Under his leadership, Global Voice pioneered and partnered in a series of multi-country projects, principally with the support of the EU Programmes for "Life-long Learning" (Grundtvig, Leonardo, Socrates) and "Youth in Action", and launched the flag-ship participation programme 'Youth Voice' (winner of the UK Millennium Volunteer Award in 2003 and UnLtd Foundation Award for Social Enterprise in 2005). During this period, he also worked with the UK Department of Education and Skills to support the introduction of Citizenship to the national curriculum to schools in the North East of England, and was an elected member of North Tyneside's Children, Young People and Learning Board.In 2006, Paul was recruited as an international staff member to the newly established 'Anna Lindh Foundation', the first common institution created by the Member States of the Euro-Mediterranean Partnership, with the EU and Arab League. Working across 42 countries from its international headquarters at the New Bibliotheca of Alexandria, the Foundation supports trans-Mediterranean projects in the fields of education, academic cooperation, media and civil society development. As a senior leader, Paul played a central role in adapting the Foundation's programme following the historic events of the Arab Awakening (2011) and the Gaza War (2009). He was also appointed to the EU's Inter-agency Steering Group on EU Partnership with Civil Society in the MENA region, established by the EU Commissioner for European Neighbourhood, and co-wrote the successful joint bid of the Foundation and British Council to the UK Arab Partnership Fund for the regional programme 'Young Arab Voices'.Paul lectures each year on international affairs at the University of Malta's Mediterranean Academy of Diplomacy (MEDAC), and has been interviewed in the BBC, Al-Arabiya, Al Ahram and the New York Times. He is also a member of the International Advisory Board for the Common Purpose leadership programme 'Itijah'.

E-mail to: contact@paulwalton.net