Khaled El-Enany elected Director-General of UNESCO

PRESS RELEASE   Khaled El-Enany elected Director-General of UNESCO   Samarkand, 6 November 2025 - The General Conference of UNESCO elected Mr. Khaled El-Enany (Egypt) as Director-General of the Organization, with 172 votes out of a total of 174 ballots. The new Director-General will succeed Audrey Azoulay, who has held this position since 2017, on 15 November.       Khaled Ahmed El-Enany Ali Ezz, born in 1971, is an Egyptologist and Professor of Egyptology at Helwan University (Egypt), 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 Center, 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 on several occasions. He led the National Museum of Egyptian Civilization (2014-2016) and the Egyptian Museum in Cairo (2015-2016). From 2016 to 2022, he served as Minister of Antiquities and then Minister of Tourism and Antiquities of the Arab Republic of Egypt. He is a member of several international learned societies. 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. He holds several international distinctions. He speaks Arabic, French and English. Khaled El-Enany is the 12th Director-General of UNESCO. He is the first Director-General from an Arab country, and the second from Africa to hold this position since Amadou Mahtar Mbow (1974-1987) from Senegal. Mr El-Enany will take office on 15 November for a four-year term.     About UNESCO   With 194 Member States, the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization contributes to peace and security by leading multilateral cooperation on education, science, culture, communication and information. Headquartered in Paris, UNESCO has offices in 54 countries and employs over 2300 people. UNESCO oversees more than 2000 World Heritage sites, Biosphere Reserves and Global Geoparks; networks of Creative, Learning, Inclusive and Sustainable Cities; and over 13 000 associated schools, university chairs, training and research institutions, with a global network of 200 National Commissions. Its Director-General is Audrey Azoulay.   "Since wars begin in the minds of men, it is in the minds of men that the defenses of peace must be constructed" – UNESCO Constitution, 1945.   More information: www.unesco.org   Press contact María SÁNCHEZ APONTE, m.sanchez-aponte@unesco.org, +33 (0) 1 45 68 02 37 Dieynaba Khaty SOW, dk.sow@unesco.org, +33 (0) 1 45 68 09 68   UNESCO Newsroom All our press releases   Social media

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