UNESCO Chief to Visit Morocco On February 28

Rabat – Audrey Azoulay, the director-general of the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), is expected to visit Morocco on February 28, amid Rabat’s recognition as “Islamic world’s cultural capital for 2022.”

Azoulay will arrive in the capital on an official visit for three days, according to sources quoted by Moroccan news outlet Le360.

Azoulay’s visit to Rabat comes in response to an invitation from Morocco’s Minister of Culture Mehdi Bensaid.

The director-general of UNESCO is expected to hold several talks with Moroccan representatives, including the Minister of Foreign Affairs Nasser Bourita.

Azoulay is also reportedly expected to meet with Mohamed El Yacoubi, governor of the Rabat-Sale-Kenitra region.

Rabat, the kingdom’s capital, was chosen by The Islamic World Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (ISESCO) as the “Islamic world’s cultural capital for 2022.”

During Azoulay’s visit, she is reportedly planning to meet with Mehdi Qotbi, President of the National Foundation of Museums, and is expected to stop by the Mohammed VI Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art in Rabat.

Audrey Azoulay was reelected as director-general of UNESCO in November 2021. After a career in France’s ministry of culture, Azoulay, who is of French-Moroccan Jewish origin, has held the position at UNESCO since 2017.

Born in Paris on August 4, 1972 to a Moroccan-Jewish family from Essaouira, her father, Andre Azoulay, is a top adviser to King Mohammed VI and served as advisor to the late King Hassan II.

The UNESCO chief is the second woman to hold the organizations’ top leadership position. She rose to the role following Irina Bokova, who made history as the first female director-general in 2009.