The Executive Board of the UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) has appointed Egyptian Khaled al-Anani as Director-General for a four-year term.
Al-Anani, 54, is a former Minister of Antiquities and Tourism and a trained Egyptologist. He won the position by securing 55 out of 57 votes, defeating Congolese candidate Firmin Edouard Matoko.
The final approval of his appointment will take place on 6 November during the UNESCO General Conference in Samarkand, Uzbekistan. The General Conference has historically never rejected a decision made by the Executive Board.
Al-Anani is set to become the first UNESCO Director-General from an Arab country and the second African to hold the position, after Senegalese Amadou-Mahtar M’Bow (1974-1987).
“I wish al-Anani all the best in fulfilling his noble mission,” Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi said in a statement.
