Paris: Dr. Khaled Al Anani, the Egyptian candidate, was elected on Monday as the new Director-General of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), succeeding France's Audrey Azoulay.
UNESCO's 58-member Executive Board chose Al Anani with 55 votes to two for his Congolese rival, Firmin Edouard Matoko.
The organization's General Conference is scheduled to formally ratify the appointment on Nov. 6 during its session in Samarkand, Uzbekistan.
Al Anani is set to assume his duties officially on Nov. 14, replacing Azoulay, who has held the post since 2017.
In remarks to the Executive Board, Al Anani pledged to work "hand in hand with all member states to draw up a shared roadmap to modernize UNESCO and propel it into the future."
Al Anani served as Egypt's minister of antiquities in 2016, was appointed a cultural tourism ambassador by the United Nations World Tourism Organization in 2024, and directed the National Museum of Egyptian Civilization in Cairo.
