Koumbou Boly Barry is the current United Nations Special Rapporteur on the Right to Education. Dr. Boly Barry, a national from Burkina Faso, took office on 1 August 2016 following her appointment at the 32nd session of the Human Rights Council.

Dr. Boly Barry holds a PhD in Economic History from Cheikh Anta Diop University in Senegal. She is the former Minister of Education and Literacy of Burkina Faso and has consulted widely for various governments and international institutions on the right to education.

Dr. Boly Barry has been an advocate on gender issues in education. She also has ample knowledge and experience in training and research, a visiting professor at the University of Nottingham (UK), the University of Louvain La Neuve (Belgium), and a lecturer at Ouagadougou University (Burkina Faso), Vitoria University (Brazil) and Fribourg University (Switzerland).