
Egypt s foreign ministry headquarter. (Photo: Al-Ahram)
The UNESCO’s Executive Board consists of 58 member states, each with a four-year term in office.
The Executive Board is one of the three constitutional organs of the UN agency, along with the General Conference — which elects members of the executive board — and the Secretariat.
Previously, Egypt was re-elected in November 2017 for a four-year term in the board with 141 votes.
Egypt’s re-election to the Executive Board for successive terms underscores the international recognition Egypt has garnered for its active role and position within the UN in general and the UNESCO in particular, Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Ahmed Hafez said in the statement.
Hafez highlighted the historical relations linking Egypt and the UNESCO and Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi’s recent participation in the organisation’s 75th anniversary celebration.
In his speech on 12 November at the UNESCO’s headquarters in Paris, El-Sisi stressed that Egypt looks forward to bolstering its fruitful cooperation and long partnership with the UN body.
“We hope to further develop and deepen [this partnership] to implement the noble objectives of this organisation in serving culture, science, and human civilisation,” El-Sisi said.
“Egypt is proud of being among the founding states of the UNESCO,” El-Sisi said, noting that relations between the country and the organisation have developed over decades to become a model of constructive cooperation at all levels.
Hafez also made it clear that this victory is a result of the culmination of efforts made by the foreign ministry, its embassies, and missions abroad to mobilise votes in favour of Egypt’s re-election to the Executive Board.
The UNESCO consists of 193 members and 11 associate members.
The organisation’s mission is to contribute to building a culture of peace; eradicating poverty; and fostering sustainable development and intercultural dialogue through education, the sciences, culture, communication, and information.
In 2019, Egypt was elected as a member of the Executive Board of the UNESCO’s Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission.
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