Overview

• UNESCO’s 58‑member Executive Board voted 55–2 to nominate former Egyptian antiquities and tourism minister Khaled el‑Enany to succeed Audrey Azoulay.
• The General Conference is scheduled to consider the nomination on November 6 in Samarkand, and if approved he would take office on November 14.
• If confirmed, el‑Enany would become the first director‑general from an Arab country and the second from Africa, following Senegal’s Amadou Mahtar Mbow.
• The United States, which did not participate in the vote, has announced it will leave UNESCO and currently provides about 8% of the agency’s budget, with the cut taking effect at the end of 2026.
• El‑Enany has pledged to emphasize cultural programs, combat antisemitism and religious intolerance, and seek a U.S. return, while his rival Firmin Édouard Matoko argued for depoliticization and budgetary rigor.