President of World Union of Qwan Ki Do
Sino Vietnamese Martial Art
Marco Luigi Roggia, born in Milan, Italy, on 14 July 1961; Italian National.
Academic Background: 1989, Graduation Degree with full marks in Political Sciences, major in International Relations and Sociology, Universita’ degli Studi di Milano.
Professional Experience: United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR): joined UNHCR in September 1990 and worked with UNHCR until December 2019:
- Operations/countries of duty (posting duration from 2 to 5 years): Zambia, Croatia, Zimbabwe, Macedonia, Geneva Headquarters, Eritrea, Iraq/Jordan, Sudan (Darfur), Myanmar (Rakhine State), Saudi Arabia;
- Senior Management/Executive positions: performed as Deputy Chief of Mission Iraq Operation, Senior Field Coordinator Darfur Operation (Sudan); Head of Rakhine State Operation (Myanmar), Deputy Regional Representative for the Gulf Cooperation Countries (Saudi Arabia).
- Competencies demonstrated in 30 years of service with UNHCR:
- Managed humanitarian operations in response to forced human displacement crises in complex political, military and humanitarian scenarios such as the Former Yugoslavia conflict, the Iraq Operation and the Sudan/Darfur conflict.
- Planned, developed, implemented, monitored and evaluated preparedness and response plans and projects for the protection and assistance of refugees, internally displaced persons, stateless persons and returning minorities.
- Negotiated with state and non-state actors and refugee communities asylum from persecution and solutions to humanitarian displacement crises.
- Managed offices and teams in different countries and locations up to 70 staff.
- Managed financial resources and budgets up to 7 million US Dollars;
- Built and maintained relations with Governments, donors, other UN agencies and refugee communities in different cultural environments in order to mobilize political and financial support to operational responses and solutions to complex humanitarian crises.
Family status: divorced, father of four children (Giulia – 28 years old, Francesco 26, Miranda 20 and Sasha 18).
Personal Interests: traveling, with a particular interest in South-East Asia and the Far East; study of foreign languages; food, cooking.
Martial Arts and Qwan Ki Do affiliation:
- Practiced European Fencing from 1972 to 1981 at Istituto Gonzaga, Milano and Palestra Verratti, Milano under the guidance of Maestro Umberto d’Amore;
- Joined Qwan Ki Do in Milan (Linate Club) under the guidance of Maestro Roberto Vismara in 1985; left Qwan Ki Do in 1989 when starting to expatriate with the United Nations; joined back Qwan Ki Do in 2000 (Si Yu Ki Club, Milan, Maestro Roberto Vismara); currently Black Belt, 3° Dang; Co Vo Dao: practice of Ma Dao and Moc Guom (So-Cap); in July 2020 elected President of the World Union of Qwan Ki Do and Secretary-General of the Qwan Ki Do European Federation.
Faith: Christian Catholic, promotes inter-faith dialogue; since 1983 practicing Zazen (Zen/Chen Meditation) under the guidance of Maestro Fausto Taiten Guareschi, as member of the Italian Soto Zen Institute at Shobozan Fudenji Monastery, Fidenza (Parma), Italy; ordered Bodhisattva in 2012.