©️UNESCO
Samarkand, November 6, 2025.- The General Conference of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), held in Samarkand, Uzbekistan, Central Asia, on Thursday, 6 November 2025, elected Khaled El-Engany, a renowned Egyptologist and academic, as the new Director General of the Organization, with 172 votes out of 174 voters. He will succeed Audrey Azoulay on 15 November, marking a historic page by becoming the first Egyptian and the second African to lead the UN specialized institution for education, science and culture.
Born in 1971, Khaled Ahmed El-Enany Ali Ezz is a professor of Egyptology at the University of Helouan, where he has been teaching for more than thirty years. He holds a doctorate from the Université Paul-Valéry Montpellier 3 (France), and has also been a visiting professor in several French institutions. His journey illustrates a perfect alliance between scientific rigour and institutional commitment.
Prior to his election, he led emblematic institutions such as the National Museum of Egyptian Civilization and the Egyptian Museum in Cairo, before serving as Minister of Antiquities, then Minister of Tourism and Antiquities of Egypt (2016-2022). Recognized for his vision of cultural tourism and his defence of world heritage, he was appointed Special Ambassador of the World Tourism Organization in 2024 and sponsor of the African World Heritage Fund.
His election as head of UNESCO represents a symbolic step forward for the African continent and for the Arab world. He speaks Arabic, French and English, and Khaled El-Enany intends to place his four-year term under the sign of intercultural dialogue, preservation of heritage and strengthening bridges among civilizations.
W.A.
