Mr. Khaled El-Enany was elected Director-General of UNESCO for the term 2025-2029.

image (4) — New Director General Khaled El-Enany will succeed Audrey Azoulay, who has held the position since 2017.

Previously, on October 6, 2025, at the 222nd Session in Paris, the UNESCO Executive Board voted to elect a single candidate, Mr. Khaled El-Enany, to introduce to the UNESCO General Conference for consideration and decision.

Speaking at the Executive Council immediately after winning the election, Mr. Khaled El-Enany affirmed that he not only represents Arabs and Africans but also represents everyone. He pledged to spend the first 100 days of his term working with countries to develop a roadmap to modernize UNESCO - UNESCO for peace and solidarity.

Mr. Khaled El-Enany, born in 1971, is a renowned Egyptologist and professor of Egyptology at Helwan University (Egypt), where he has taught for over 30 years. He has held the positions of Vice-Rector of the School of Tourism and Hospitality, Director of the Open Training Center and Head of the Department of Tourist Guides. He holds a PhD in Egyptology from Paul-Valéry University Montpellier 3 (France), where he has been invited many times as a visiting professor.

He served as Director of the National Museum of Egyptian Civilization (2014-2016) and Director of the Egyptian Museum in Cairo (2015-2016). From 2016 to 2022, he served as Minister of Antiquities, then Minister of Tourism and Antiquities of Egypt.

He is a member of several international scientific associations. In November 2024, he was appointed Special Ambassador for Cultural Tourism by the World Tourism Organization and was recently selected as one of the Patrons of the African World Heritage Fund. He has received numerous international awards and is fluent in Arabic, French and English.

He is highly appreciated for his vision of “ UNESCO for people ”, aiming to build an inclusive organization, capable of connecting people through dialogue, trust and mutual respect, putting people at the center, acting effectively to improve people's lives, creating conditions for countries to develop in peace and sustainability.

Mr. Khaled El-Enany is the 12th Director-General of UNESCO. He is the first Director-General from an Arab country and the second Director-General from an African country. Mr. Khaled El-Enany visited Vietnam in April 2025 during his election campaign.

With 194 member states, the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) contributes to peace and security by leading multilateral cooperation in education, science, culture, communication and information.

Headquartered in Paris, UNESCO has offices in 54 countries and employs more than 2,300 staff. UNESCO oversees more than 2,000 World Heritage Sites, Biosphere Reserves and Global Geoparks; the network of Creative, Learning, Inclusive and Sustainable Cities; and more than 13,000 schools, university faculties, training and research institutions affiliated with it, with a global network of 200 National Commissions.

Vietnam joined UNESCO in 1976, right after the country's reunification. After 49 years of cooperation, Vietnam has always been considered a dynamic and responsible member.

Source: https://baolamdong.vn/ong-khaled-el-enany-duoc-bau-lam-tong-giam-doc-unesco-nhiem-ky-2025-2029-401307.html