With a vision rooted in inclusivity, innovation, and intercultural dialogue, Egyptian Egyptologist and former minister of tourism and antiquities Khaled El-Enany has been elected as the new director-general of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO), becoming the first Egyptian and Arab, and the second African, to assume the position.
El-Enany’s election represents a major milestone for Egypt’s international presence and a moment of pride for the Arab and African regions. His selection reflects the international community’s confidence in his leadership and long-standing contributions to cultural heritage, education, and global dialogue.
With his extensive academic background and experience in managing Egypt’s vast archaeological treasures and tourism industry, El-Enany is expected to steer UNESCO towards a renewed vision under the motto “UNESCO for the People”, signalling the beginning of a new chapter for the organisation driven by a belief that peace, diversity, and innovation must guide humanity’s collective future.
The election to UNESCO’s top post saw a closely watched contest between El-Enany and the Congolese Édouard Firmin Matoko, UNESCO’s deputy director-general for Africa and external relations, after the withdrawal of Mexico’s candidate Gabriela Ramos in August.
In the decisive vote, UNESCO’s 58-member Executive Board, representing the organisation’s 194 Member States, except the US which abstained from voting, elected El-Enany with an overwhelming 55 votes.
The nomination now will be submitted for approval by all Member States during the General Conference in Samarkand, Uzbekistan, on 6 November. Once confirmed by the General Conference, El-Enany will officially assume office in mid-November, succeeding Audrey Azoulay and becoming the first Egyptian and Arab, and the second African, to lead the organisation after the Senegalese Amadou-Mahtar M’Bow who held this position from 1974 to 1987.
“I stand before you with humility and a heart full of gratitude,” El-Enany said following his election, acknowledging the broad coalition of support that had propelled his historic victory.
In his speech, El-Enany extended heartfelt thanks to his homeland, Egypt, for entrusting him with this mission, as well as to his Arab family and the Arab League for their steadfast support, and to the African continent and African Union, which had embraced and endorsed his candidacy on three occasions.
He went on to express his appreciation to all countries that had backed his bid and placed their trust in him, asserting that their confidence in him was a gift that he would never take for granted.
His message also carried a tone of unity and inclusivity. “I assure you that, if elected in November by the General Conference, I will serve all nations and peoples as a director-general for all, working together with you to build a UNESCO that is a true home for all humanity, a UNESCO for the People,” he said.
His remarks also paid tribute to the Egyptian team that had accompanied him throughout the 30-month long campaign to bring this project to life in “a dream in which we have deeply believed”.
El-Enany’s remarks were met with warm applause from the delegates gathered at UNESCO’s headquarters in Paris. Leading diplomats and prominent figures described the moment as both historic and deeply symbolic, not only for Egypt but also for the broader Arab and African communities that had rallied behind his candidacy.
President Abdel-Fattah Al-Sisi congratulated El-Enany and praised the achievement as historic and a milestone in Egypt’s diplomatic and cultural journey and a reflection of the nation’s global standing.
In an official statement on his social media account, the president praised El-Enany’s election as a testament to “Egypt’s enduring stature as a great civilisation and the world’s confidence in its capable sons and daughters.”
He expressed full confidence in El-Enany’s ability to uphold UNESCO’s mission, “promoting cultural dialogue and safeguarding human heritage in a manner worthy of Egypt’s great civilisation and of humanity’s shared legacy.”
During its weekly meeting, the cabinet described El-Enany’s election as a reflection of Egypt’s soft power, diplomatic strength, and cultural influence on the international stage, extending its gratitude to all Arab, African, and international partners whose backing had made the success possible.
Egypt, it affirmed, remains committed to working with all UNESCO Member States to advance the organisation’s mission of protecting heritage, promoting knowledge, and fostering peace and dialogue among civilisations.
El-Enany, who launched his campaign in April 2023, early emerged as a strong contender. Backed by an ambitious vision under the slogan “UNESCO for the People”, he succeeded in rallying broad regional and international support. His campaign emphasised inclusivity, innovation, and strengthening the organisation’s role in addressing global challenges.
Reflecting on his journey, El-Enany shared that over the past 30 months, his campaign had taken him to 65 countries across the world from the Pacific to the Caribbean and involved more than 400 meetings and dialogues that had helped shape his vision.
He described the experience as “the adventure of a lifetime”, expressing deep gratitude to his Egyptian team and colleagues who “stood by my side with passion and devotion to bring this dream to life.”
The withdrawal of the US from UNESCO, which will come into effect at the end of 2026, will pose a potential budgetary shortfall challenge for the organisation. The US contributes eight per cent of its overall budget.
According to several international news outlets, following the vote El-Enany told reporters that he would seek to restore the US membership in UNESCO. He acknowledged that addressing the organisation’s budget will be a top priority, and “it will be our collective responsibility to tackle it.”
In November 2024, El-Enany was selected as UN tourism special ambassador for cultural tourism. Secretary-General of UN Tourism Zurab Pololikashvili expressed his support, saying El-Enany’s dedication to education, science, and culture is admirable and wishing him the best of luck on his journey to lead UNESCO.
More recently, El-Enany was designated patron of the African World Heritage Fund.
El-Enany is Egypt’s third candidate for the post of UNESCO director-general. In 2009, Egypt nominated former minister of culture Farouk Hosni to the post, but he lost his bid to former Bulgarian foreign minister Irina Bokova.
Egyptian politician and diplomat Moushira Khattab was Egypt’s candidate in 2017. Khattab, who served as minister of state for family and population between 2009 and 2011, lost her bid to Audrey Azoulay, a former French minister of culture who is the current UNESCO director-general.
El-Enany is a professor of Egyptology in the Tourism Guidance Department at the Faculty of Tourism and Hotel Management at Helwan University. He has wide-ranging academic, scientific, administrative, and executive experience in Egypt and abroad. Over the course of his career, he has developed a strong international network with governments, institutions, and organisations.
During his six-and-a-half-year tenure in government he supervised numerous major projects, boosting tourism and archaeology across Egypt. More than 20 museums, including the National Museum of Egyptian Civilisation (NMEC), developed in collaboration with UNESCO, were opened, and work on the Grand Egyptian Museum (GEM), one of the largest museums in the world, neared completion.
More than 50 restoration and development projects at archaeological sites were inaugurated, and more than 20 restoration projects of historical mosques, monasteries, and churches (including five locations on the Holy Family Trail), and the Eliahu Hanavi Synagogue in Alexandria, were opened.
He inaugurated five ground water-lowering projects at archaeological sites, and the number of archaeological missions, particularly Egyptian ones, increased significantly. He also secured the return of 7,000 smuggled artefacts from more than 20 countries.
El-Enany has played a key role in strengthening Egypt’s international relations through his cultural diplomacy skills, collaborating closely with many countries, academic institutions, and international organisations.
He oversaw the Pharaoh’s Golden Parade and Luxor: The Sphinx Avenue Parade and was instrumental in mitigating the repercussions of the Covid-19 pandemic and the Ukraine-Russia war on Egypt’s tourism sector.
He has received many international awards. France awarded him the insignia of the Chevalier de la Légion d’honneur in 2025, the official emblem awarded to recipients of France’s highest distinction for civil merit, and named him a Knight of the Order of Arts and Letters in 2015.
In 2020, he received the Order of Merit of the Republic of Poland, and in 2021 was awarded the Order of the Rising Sun by Japan. In September 2024, El-Enany received an honorary doctorate from the University of Paul-Valéry Montpellier 3 in France.
* A version of this article appears in print in the 9 October, 2025 edition of Al-Ahram Weekly
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