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2h ago

UNESCO Board Backs Egypt's Khaled El-Enany for Director-General in Overwhelming Vote

The recommendation now moves to a November ratification with the agency preparing for a U.S. exit that would strip about 8% of its budget.

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FILE - The UNESCO logo hangs from a podium in Paris, Nov. 14, 2023. (AP Photo/Lewis Joly, File)
UNESCO logo and U.S. flag are seen in this illustration taken April 23, 2025. REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Illustration
Egypt's Antiquities Minister Khaled El-Enany speaks during the presentation of a new discovery at Tuna el-Gebel archaeological site in Minya Governorate, Egypt, February 2, 2019. REUTERS/Amr Abdallah Dalsh

Overview

  • UNESCO's Executive Board voted 55 of 57 to recommend Egyptian Egyptologist Khaled El-Enany as the next director-general, the board chair confirmed.
  • The nomination goes to the General Conference in Samarkand next month for formal approval, a step that historically has not overturned board recommendations, with a planned start date of November 14 if confirmed.
  • UNESCO faces a funding shortfall when the United States withdraws at the end of 2026, cutting roughly 8% of the budget, and Washington did not participate in the vote.
  • El-Enany, backed by the Arab League and African Union after a 30-month campaign, defeated UNESCO veteran Firmin Édouard Matoko following Mexico's candidate withdrawing.
  • If ratified, El-Enany would be the agency's first leader from an Arab country and has signaled priorities of budget stabilization, less politicization, more private-sector support, and efforts to bring the U.S. back.