Yashasvi Fedhi Channan is a Second Secretary at the Permanent Delegation of the Republic of Kenya to UNESCO in Paris, where he serves as Programme Officer for the Culture and Communication & Information sectors.
He supports the Republic of Kenya Kenya's engagement across UNESCO's cultural conventions, heritage programmes, media and information initiatives, multilingualism, freedom of expression, and gender mainstreaming activities. Prior to his posting, he served in the Cultural Diplomacy Directorate, Middle East Directorate, Foreign Service Academy, and Office of the Registrar of Treaties within Kenya's Ministry of Foreign and Diaspora Affairs. His professional interests span cultural diplomacy, multilateral cooperation, digital transformation, ethical artificial intelligence, youth empowerment, and intercultural dialogue. He holds a Bachelor of Arts in Industrial Psychology and Leadership from USIU-Africa and is a licensed Level II Psychologist registered by the Ministry of Health of Kenya.
Biography
Yashasvi Fedhi Channan is a Second Secretary at the Permanent Delegation of the Republic of Kenya to UNESCO in Paris, France. He serves as Programme Officer responsible for the Culture Sector and the Communication & Information Sector, supporting Kenya’s engagement across UNESCO’s normative instruments, intergovernmental processes, and multilateral policy platforms. His responsibilities include technical support to Kenya’s participation in the World Heritage Convention, the Convention for the Safeguarding of Intangible Cultural Heritage, the Convention on the Protection and Promotion of the Diversity of Cultural Expressions, the Memory of the World Programme, media and information literacy initiatives, multilingualism, freedom of expression, and the safety of journalists.
Mr. Channan joined the Ministry of Foreign and Diaspora Affairs in 2020 and has served in multiple directorates, including the Cultural Diplomacy Directorate, the Middle East Directorate, the Foreign Service Academy, and the Office of the Registrar of Treaties. Throughout his service, he has contributed to performance management reforms, strategic planning, protocol coordination, public diplomacy initiatives, and the digitization of government systems.
Prior to his posting to UNESCO, he played a key role in coordinating Kenya’s participation in major international events and summits, including the Sixth Session of the United Nations Environment Assembly (UNEA-6), the African Development Bank Annual Meetings, the Africa Fertilizer and Soil Health Summit, the Africa Climate Summit, and numerous bilateral and multilateral engagements involving foreign delegations and senior government officials.
Beyond diplomacy, Mr. Channan has a strong background in organizational psychology, cultural diplomacy, digital inclusion, and emerging technologies. He has participated in international programmes on multilateral diplomacy, mediation, gender mainstreaming, environmental sustainability, cultural diplomacy, and artificial intelligence governance. His professional interests focus on the intersection of culture, technology, youth empowerment, and ethical artificial intelligence, with particular emphasis on how digital innovation can strengthen governance, education, heritage preservation, and intercultural dialogue.
Mr. Channan holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Industrial Psychology and Leadership from United States International University – Africa (USIU-Africa). He is a licensed Level II Psychologist registered by the Ministry of Health of Kenya and has undertaken specialized training in diplomacy, mediation, cultural cooperation, sustainability, and artificial intelligence.
He speaks English and Swahili and has working knowledge of French, Arabic, Spanish, Hindi, and Kikuyu.
