Fez – Audrey Azoulay was reelected as director-general of the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) on November 9. After a career in France’s Ministry of Culture, Azoulay, who is of French-Moroccan Jewish origin, has held the position since 2017.
In a congratulatory tweet, UNESCO stated that “The director-general reiterated her will for UNESCO to keep on modernizing itself.” The UNESCO chief is also committed to “making its action on core missions more efficient.”
Azoulay was born in Essaouira, Morocco to a Moroccan Jewish family on August 4, 1972. Her father, Andre Azoulay, is a top adviser to King Mohammed VI and served as an advisor to King Hassan II.
Azoulay strived to promote peace and education during her first term as chief of UNESCO. During a speech in Tunis at the site of the old city of Carthage, she urged member states to prioritize peace and education “in the long run” to foster global stability.
The UNESCO director-general is the second woman to manage the UN body. She took over as Director-General after Irina Bokova, who made history in 2009 as the first female director-general.
The preservation of key cultural and historical monuments and customs around the world is one of UNESCO’s most essential missions. There are 193 member countries in the organization. It is well known for its World Heritage List, which includes world-renowned sites like Morocco’s Volubilis, and Igudar.
UNESCO is dedicated not only to the preservation of culture but also to ensuring that people have equal access to technology and education. The UN body intensifies efforts to narrow the gap between developed and developing countries.
