# Khaled El-Enany elected to lead UNESCO after decisive vote in Samarkand
2025-11-06 - UNESCO has elected Khaled El-Enany of Egypt as its next director-general, giving him 172 votes out of 174 ballots cast at the General Conference in Samarkand, Uzbekistan.
The result confirms a clear mandate for El-Enany, an Egyptologist and long-time academic administrator who is set to take office on 15 November for a four-year term. UNESCO said he will become the organization’s 12th director-general, and the first from an Arab country. He will also be only the second person from Africa to hold the post after Senegal’s Amadou Mahtar Mbow.
The announcement matters because UNESCO is one of the United Nations system’s most visible cultural and educational institutions. It oversees World Heritage sites, biosphere reserves, creative cities, learning networks and thousands of associated schools, universities and research bodies. The director-general therefore has influence not just over an internal bureaucracy, but over the organisation’s role in global cultural diplomacy and educational cooperation.
El-Enany brings a background rooted in heritage and tourism as well as higher education. UNESCO’s biographical note says he has taught Egyptology for more than 30 years at Helwan University, where he has served in senior academic posts, and that he previously led both the National Museum of Egyptian Civilization and the Egyptian Museum in Cairo. He also served as Egypt’s minister of antiquities and later minister of tourism and antiquities from 2016 to 2022.
His election is likely to be read in light of UNESCO’s recent need to balance heritage protection, education, communications policy and diplomatic sensitivity among its 194 member states. A director-general chosen by such a large majority enters office with political capital, at least initially, and with the opportunity to define a broad agenda early in the term.
The organization said El-Enany is multilingual and has been active in a range of international learned societies. It also noted his recent appointments as special ambassador for cultural tourism by the World Tourism Organization and patron of the African World Heritage Fund. Those roles suggest a profile that aligns closely with UNESCO’s work at the intersection of culture, tourism and preservation.
El-Enany’s election marks a generational and geographic milestone for the agency. Beyond the symbolism, the size of the vote suggests member states wanted a clear, decisive outcome. He will now inherit an institution with wide responsibilities and the usual challenge of translating consensus into practical action across education, science and culture.
