In his meeting with the UAE's Permanent Delegate, attended by the Representative of the Arab League Educational, Cultural and Scientific Organization (ALECSO) to UNESCO, Abdelatty expressed his appreciation for the UAE's support of El-Enany as the Arab and African candidate, describing it as a reflection of the deep-rooted relations between the two countries and their shared commitment to strengthening the Arab presence within international organizations.
A Foreign Ministry statement said Abdelatty stressed the importance of continued Arab coordination and praised ALECSO's role in supporting Arab candidacies and fostering cultural and scientific cooperation, which, he said, helps consolidate the Arab world's standing on the global cultural stage.
The UNESCO Executive Board will convene on Monday to elect the agency's next Director-General.
For the first time in UNESCO's history, two African contenders are vying for the top post: Egypt's El-Enany and Congolese diplomat Firmin Edouard Matoko, a veteran UNESCO official.
The 58-member board, which will recommend one candidate to the General Conference for ratification, is set to vote after months of intense diplomatic campaigning.
Earlier in the day, Abdelatty met with Mathias Cormann, Secretary-General of the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), praising the close partnership between Egypt and the OECD, particularly through the Egypt Country Programme, which has been extended until the end of 2025
According to a statement by the Foreign Ministry, Abdelatty described the programme as a key pillar supporting Egypt's structural economic reforms, which have bolstered the national economy's resilience and maintained favourable growth rates despite successive global crises and geopolitical challenges.
The Egyptian top diplomat added that Egyptian authorities are currently preparing a roadmap for the next phase of the programme, aiming to build on its achievements and align it with the country's medium-term development priorities.
He underscored Egypt's keen interest in its upcoming co-chairmanship of the MENA-OECD Initiative on Governance and Competitiveness for Development for the 2026–2030 term.
He noted that Egypt was the first country in the Middle East and North Africa region to chair the initiative in 2005, reflecting its long-standing engagement with the OECD's regional work.
Egypt has officially assumed the co-chairmanship of the MENA-OECD Initiative on Governance and Competitiveness for Development, succeeding Tunisia.
Egypt will serve as co-chair for the 2026–2030 period, alongside Italy and Turkey, in partnership with the OECD Secretariat in Paris.
Abdelatty also reviewed ongoing government efforts to expand private sector participation in Egypt's economy and to foster a favorable investment environment, as outlined in the State Ownership Policy Document.
He highlighted the introduction of tax and customs incentives to encourage investors.
He reaffirmed the government's focus on the social dimension, including the continued development and expansion of "Takaful and Karama" and "Hayah Karima", two of Egypt's flagship social protection programmes.
Abdelatty expressed Egypt's readiness to work closely with the OECD Secretariat to design a comprehensive action plan for the new phase of the initiative, aimed at enhancing its mechanisms and programmes to keep pace with regional development priorities, particularly in the areas of competitiveness and governance.
Short link: