Egypt’s Khaled El-Enany was elected as the new head of the UN’s cultural and education agency, the first person from an Arab country and the second from an African nation to be named director-general.
The former Egyptian tourism and antiquities minister won a landslide victory against his rival Firmin Edouard Matoko, a veteran diplomat and economist from Congo Brazzaville. El-Enany’s nomination now awaits approval from UNESCO’s 194 member states on Nov. 6.
The 54-year old currently works as professor of Egyptology at Helwan University in Greater Cairo, focusing on the civilization and archaeology of ancient Egypt. “I stand before you with humility and gratitude,” El-Enany said on hearing the results, after what Le Monde described as “a heated campaign.”
The professor takes on the job at a critical moment in UNESCO’s history — with the US announcing it will withdraw from the organization by December 2026 — and has said fundraising will be his “number one priority.”