Dr. Ziba Vaghri is currently working at the World Health Organization in Geneva and recipient of the Michael Smith Foundation for Health Research Scholar Award. Previously, she was Assistant Professor leading the International Research and Initiatives Program at the Human Early Learning Partnership (HELP) at the University of British Columbia (UBC). Her previous work as a health care professional in various countries has given her rich experience in working within multiethnic settings and an appreciation for cultural diversity. Dr. Vaghri's current interest lies in population-based monitoring of Early Child Development (ECD) in diverse parts of the world. She ascribes to the view that this type of monitoring has the potential to inform new initiatives in an international context and provide direction to nations wishing to frame future policy around ECD. In accordance with this view, Dr. Vaghri has recently been actively involved in the development of a tool that will be instrumental in monitoring the fulfillment of the Convention on the Rights of the Child (Indicators of General Comment No. 7). Dr. Vaghri is a member otthe Global Reference Group on Accountability to Child Rights and Well-Being (GRGA), established to serve the UN Committee on the Rights of the Child.
