Khaled El-Enany, Egypt’s former minister of tourism and antiquities and candidate for the post of UNESCO director-general, was awarded the insignia of the Chevalier de la Légion d’honneur this week, which is the official emblem awarded to recipients of France’s highest distinction for civil merit.
The French Embassy in Cairo hosted a ceremony to celebrate the occasion that brought together Egyptian ministers, political figures, diplomats, cultural icons, and ambassadors from nearly 50 countries. All had gathered to pay tribute to El-Enany’s exceptional career as well as his major contributions to scientific cooperation and the strengthening of intercultural dialogue.
French Ambassador to Egypt Éric Chevallier, who presented the award, praised El-Enany’s “remarkable career and constant commitment” to education, culture, scientific research, and intercultural dialogue. His words carried both warmth and weight as he emphasised El-Enany’s more than three decades of work fostering Franco-Egyptian relations and advancing international cooperation.
France’s backing of El-Enany is more than ceremonial, as Chevallier reaffirmed Paris’ formal endorsement of his candidacy to lead UNESCO. That support, he explained, rests on El-Enany’s unique blend of academic rigour, diplomatic skills, and a vision of a UNESCO that unites people through promoting peace, intercultural dialogue, and the organisation’s universal values to address global challenges.
In his remarks, El-Enany voiced his deep gratitude to French President Emmanuel Macron and to France, a country with which he has shared close and enduring ties since childhood, he said. He described the honour not merely as a personal tribute but as a symbol of the bridges that knowledge, culture, and friendship can build between nations, and, more importantly, as a responsibility towards the future.
The fractures shaping today’s world, he argued, demand that education, science, culture, and communication be placed at the heart of collective action. He further stressed that technological progress, ecological transition, and universal access to knowledge must serve as levers for cooperation and innovation, nurturing cultural dialogue, strengthening harmony among people, and laying the foundations for a lasting peace built on knowledge and solidarity.
“My candidacy for director-general of UNESCO rests on a simple and strong conviction: education, science, culture, and communication are universal instruments of peace. It places humanity at the centre — bringing nations closer together in respect and solidarity, true to the spirit of UNESCO for the people,” El-Enany said.
The fractures shaping today’s world, he argued, demand that these elements be placed at the heart of collective action.
“Although I am the candidate of Egypt, endorsed by the African Union and the Arab League, my ambition goes beyond borders. I want to serve all member states, for a UNESCO of humanity, a UNESCO that acts, that builds bridges, and that carries dialogue everywhere,” he added.
For over 30 years, El-Enany has stood at the crossroads of academia, diplomacy, and cultural stewardship. As a professor of Egyptology at Helwan University, he devoted his career to mentoring emerging Egyptologists both within Egypt and internationally particularly in France, where he earned his doctorate from Paul-Valéry Montpellier 3 University.
In recognition of his lasting contributions to cross-cultural academic exchange, the same institution later conferred upon him an honorary doctorate.
He was entrusted with the stewardship of two of Egypt’s most significant cultural institutions: the National Museum of Egyptian Civilisation (NMEC) developed in collaboration with UNESCO and the Egyptian Museum in Cairo. His leadership in these roles paved the way for his appointment as minister of antiquities and later as minister of tourism and antiquities, a portfolio he reshaped by merging two ministries that had operated separately since 1966.
His tenure was marked by both bold projects and moments of global resonance. He championed the construction of the Grand Egyptian Museum (GEM), oversaw ambitious restoration programmes, and orchestrated cultural spectacles that drew worldwide attention, including the Pharaohs’ Golden Parade in Cairo, the reopening of Luxor’s Avenue of the Sphinxes in 2021, and the record-breaking “Tutankhamun: Treasures of the Golden Pharaoh” exhibition in Paris in 2019, which attracted more than 1.4 million visitors, making it the most attended exhibition in French history.
These milestones have earned him international acclaim and a series of honours, including France’s Chevalier of the Order of Arts and Letters in 2015, Poland’s Order of Merit in 2020, and Japan’s Order of the Rising Sun in 2021. In 2024, he was named special ambassador for cultural tourism by the UN World Tourism Organisation and became a patron of the African World Heritage Fund.
Today, El-Enany’s candidacy at UNESCO reflects not only his professional achievements but also a deeply humanist vision: one that places education, science, culture, communication, sustainability, and heritage preservation at the heart of global cooperation.
If elected, El-Enany would also make history as UNESCO’s first director-general from the Arab World and only the second from Africa since the organisation was founded 80 years ago.
* A version of this article appears in print in the 4 September, 2025 edition of Al-Ahram Weekly
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