Egypt's former antiquities minister El-Enany elected as UNESCO new chief
(VOVWORLD) -The Executive Board of UNESCO has elected Dr. Khaled El-Enany the organization’s Director-General. El-Enany of Egypt, who received 55 out of 57 votes, will replace Ms. Audrey Azoulay of France when her term ends in mid-November.
 El-Enany, Egypt's former tourism and antiquities minister, leads UNESCO for the 2025-2029 term. |
After winning the election, El-Enany said he represents not just Arabs and Africans but everyone. He pledged to spend his first 100 days working with member countries to create a roadmap to modernize UNESCO for peace and solidarity.
The Vietnamese delegation congratulated Dr. El-Enany and affirmed its commitment to work closely with him and the other members to achieve UNESCO’s goals for global peace and sustainable development.
El-Enany, Egypt's former tourism and antiquities minister, will lead UNESCO for the 2025–2029 term. He will propose programs and budgets to the Executive Board and General Conference and manage the Organization’s activities under the UNESCO Charter.
Born in 1971, Khaled Ahmed El-Enany Ali Ezz is an Egyptologist and Professor of Egyptology at Helwan University, where he has been teaching for over 30 years. Previously he served as Vice Dean of the Faculty of Tourism and Hospitality, Director of the Open Learning Center, and Head of the Tour Guide Department. He holds a PhD in Egyptology from France’s Paul-Valéry Montpellier 3 University, where he has been a visiting Professor on several occasions.
Dr. El-Enany helmed the National Museum of Egyptian Civilization (2014-2016) and the Egyptian Museum in Cairo (2015-2016). From 2016 to 2022, he was the Minister of Antiquities and then Minister of Tourism and Antiquities of Egypt. In November 2024, he was appointed Special Ambassador for Cultural Tourism by the World Tourism Organization and, more recently, patron of the African World Heritage Fund.