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Rabat — UNESCO elected today the Egyptian scholar Khaled El Enany as Director-General, securing an overwhelming 172 votes out of 174 at the General Conference held in Samarkand.
El Enany’s election marks a historic moment for Arab and African representation at the world’s leading cultural organization.
The newly elected director-general brings impressive credentials to the role. Born in 1971, El-Enany is a distinguished Egyptologist and professor at Helwan University, Egypt.
His career includes serving as director of both the National Museum of Egyptian Civilization and the Egyptian Museum in Cairo. Between 2016 and 2022, he held ministerial positions, first as Minister of Antiquities and later as Minister of Tourism and Antiquities.
El-Enany becomes UNESCO’s twelfth Director-General and makes history as the first Arab and second African to hold this prestigious position. The only other African to lead the organization was Senegal’s Amadou-Mahtar M’Bow, who served from 1974 to 1987.
Fluent in Arabic, French, and English, El-Enany will officially assume his duties on November 15 for a four-year term. His appointment comes at a crucial time for the organization, which, under Azoulay’s leadership, has focused on promoting peace and education globally.
The near-unanimous vote reflects strong international confidence in El-Enany’s ability to lead the organization’s mission of promoting international collaboration through educational, scientific, and cultural programs.
The former UNESCO Director-General Audrey Azoulay has led the organization since 2017. Azoulay, of French-Moroccan Jewish origin and born in Essaouira, Morocco, has held the position after a career at France’s Ministry of Culture.
Her father, Andre Azoulay, is an adviser to Moroccan King Mohammed VI, and she made history as UNESCO’s second female director-general.
Her father said that his daughter has always felt proud of her Moroccan origins and considers them an added value, often repeating her famous phrase: “I am a French citizen of Moroccan origin. So, never forget that.”
She was re-elected in 2021 with 155 votes in favor, with just nine against and one abstention.
