UNESCO : Egyptian Elected Director General

Egyptian candidate Khaled El-Enany has been elected as the new Director-General of the UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), succeeding French civil servant and politician, Audrey Azoulay. The election, which took place on Monday 6, October 2025, during the 222nd session of the Executive Board, is expected to be confirmed by the 43rd UNESCO General Conference, to be held in Samarkand, Uzbekistan, between October 30 and November 13, 2025. His term will run until 2029, according to the Egyptian news agency Mena.
El-Enany secured a decisive victory with 55 votes out of 58 during a session of the organization’s executive board in Paris. His sole challenger, 69-year-old Firmin Edouard Matoko of the Republic of the Congo, received two votes, while the US abstained. Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi congratulated El-Enany on the “sweeping victory,” describing the election as “a historic achievement added to Egypt’s diplomatic and cultural record and to the accomplishments of Arab and African peoples.” He added that the victory reflects Egypt’s civilizational status and expressed confidence that El-Enany will strengthen cultural dialogue and protect global heritage. 
Khaled Ahmed El-Enany, born in 1971, is an Egyptologist and Professor of Egyptology at Helwan University, where he has been teaching for over 30 years. He has served as Vice Dean of the Faculty of Tourism and Hospitality, Director of the Open Learning Centre, and Head of the Tour Guide Department. He holds a PhD in Egyptology from Paul-Valéry Montpellier 3 University (France), where he has been a visiting Professor...