President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi, during a meeting with UNESCO’s newly elected Director-General, Khaled El-Enany, in Cairo on Saturday, 11 October 2025. (Photo: The Egyptian Presidency)
President El-Sisi congratulated El-Enany on his election to the post last week, after he secured 55 of the 57 votes on the UNESCO Executive Board.
El-Sisi described the win as a "historic achievement" that reflected Egypt's high standing and the international appreciation for its cultural heritage and intellectual contributions.
He also expressed his gratitude to the nations that supported the Egyptian candidate.
El-Enany, in turn, thanked President El-Sisi for the "great support" he received from the presidency, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and the various national bodies involved in his campaign.
The new UNESCO Director-General stressed that the international trust placed in him carries a "great responsibility" to strengthen global cooperation in protecting human heritage, disseminating knowledge, and consolidating the values of peace and tolerance among different civilisations.
He explained that his vision for the coming phase would focus on achieving UNESCO's goals and activating its core role.
El-Enany, Egypt’s former Minister of Tourism and Antiquities, is the first Egyptian and Arab, and only the second African, to hold UNESCO’s top post.
The record-breaking vote for El-Enany followed a 30-month diplomatic campaign led by the foreign ministry and coordinated through Egypt’s embassies and UNESCO’s permanent mission in Paris.
The campaign secured wide support from the Arab League, the African Union (AU), and countries across all regional groups.
Between June 2023 and September 2025, Egypt conducted outreach to 65 countries through high-level meetings, civil society engagement, and media efforts to promote El-Enany’s vision for strengthening UNESCO’s role in education, heritage preservation, and cultural dialogue.
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