Egyptian Egyptologist and former tourism minister Khaled El-Enany was overwhelmingly elected Thursday as the next director-general of the UNESCO, becoming the first Arab to lead the UN cultural and education agency.
El-Enany, 54, secured 172 out of 174 votes in the formal confirmation by the General Conference in Samarkand, following his earlier nomination by the Executive Board in October. He will take office on Nov. 15, succeeding Audrey Azoulay of France.
The new director-general, who is also the second African to hold the post after Senegal’s Amadou-Mahtar M’Bow (1974–1987), takes the helm of the agency, best known for its World Heritage sites, at a challenging time, with the US having recently announced its withdrawal from the organization
His confirmation follows his Oct. 6 election by UNESCO’s Executive Board with 55 of 58 votes. “The world needs a strong, united UNESCO that looks to the future rather than turning inward, chooses consensus over division, and puts humanity at the heart of its mission,” he said, vowing to serve “all of humanity” and build a “UNESCO for everyone.”
El-Enany thanked member states and partners for their trust, recalling Egypt’s 80-year membership as a founding state. He has promised to bring a “new perspective” to the job and to draw on experience working with UNESCO in the field, as an Egyptologist, museum director, and minister, to strengthen the organization’s reach and impact.
Ahead of Thursday’s confirmation, the Berlin-based NGO World Heritage Watch urged member states to reconsider, saying El-Enany’s ministerial record raised questions about his commitment to safeguarding cultural sites.
The NGO’s letter, signed by more than 50 organizations and experts, referenced demolitions affecting historic cemeteries in Cairo and the expansion of tourism activities near St. Catherine’s Monastery in Sinai—both on the UNESCO World Heritage List.
“It is irresponsible to entrust someone with such a past with the top job at the organization responsible for preserving world heritage. The signatories therefore call for his appointment to be reconsidered,” it concluded.
