Results of the Regional Coordinator Election in the Middle East Region

SGAC held elections in May 2025 to elect the next Regional Coordinator (RC) in the Middle East Region. We are happy to announce the election of Saeed Jafari (Iran) as the new Regional Coordinator for the Middle East.

Detailed election results and the profile of the applicants follow.

Election Report

The election received one application for one regional coordinator position.  7 votes were received in the election. The election concluded with the following result:

  • Saeed Jafari (Iran) (6 votes – 85.7%)
  • Saeed Vahdani (Iran) (0 votes)
  • I Abstain (1 vote –  14.3%)

Saeed Jafari is therefore declared the winner of the election for the Regional Coordinator of the Middle East Region.  

SGAC congratulates all candidates who took part in this election. Thank you for your participation and involvement.

About Saeed Jafari

SGAC held elections in May 2025 to elect the next Regional Coordinator (RC) in the Middle East Region. We are happy to announce the election of Saeed Jafari (Iran) as the new Regional Coordinator for the Middle East.

Saeed Jafari is a linguist and a public engagement and science communication professional with experience of delivering face-to-face science engagement, science journalism and delivering training for practitioners. Saeed holds a Master’s degree in linguistics and cognitive science from the University of Kurdistan in Iran.

Saeed is currently serving as Co-chair of the International Decade of Indigenous Languages (2022–2032), co-led by UNESCO. Since joining the Space Generation Advisory Council (SGAC) in 2012, he has held several roles, including Executive Secretary for the Middle East from 2019 to 2025, during which he built a strategic team and a scalable framework to expand regional and national activities. He was also actively involved in SGAC’s Space Exploration and Near-Earth Object (NEO) Project Groups between 2015 and 2019.

Besides this, Saeed worked with the World Space Week Association as External Relations Manager, where he developed partnerships that leveraged shared and external resources to advance WSWA’s mission. For more than fifteen years, he has led astronomy communication, outreach, and education efforts for organisations such as the International Astronomical Union (IAU), SGAC, and UNOOSA. He currently researches public understanding of science across media, technology, and society. In 2019, he co-founded the Under Iran Sky programme, an open online astronomy education platform for disenfranchised and minoritised communities. He is also the developer of several innovative initiatives, including the IAU/UN-funded Heritage of the Sky project, which aims to involve the general public in active astronomy and space communication.

This is what Saeed had to say about his election

“I am deeply honoured to step into the role of Regional Coordinator for the Middle East. Having spent more than a decade working with SGAC and engaging directly with communities across the region, I have seen both the remarkable ambition of our youth and the unique challenges they face. The Middle East is home to countries rapidly expanding their space capabilities alongside others still seeking stable pathways into the global space landscape. Political tensions, uneven access to resources, and differing national priorities often make regional collaboration difficult-yet they also highlight exactly why our work matters. My vision is to create spaces where young professionals from across the region can meet, learn, and build trust beyond borders. Strengthening SG regional events and expanding workshops such as SGW-ME will be central to this effort, enabling more countries to host, participate, and develop their own communities. I want to help emerging nations find their footing while supporting established ones in sharing experience and opportunity.“