Khaled El-Enany elected as UNESCO’s new Director-General in Samarkand
2025-11-06 18:00:00 / News
Khaled Ahmad El-Enany Ali Azz, born in 1971, is a professor at Helwan University (Egypt) and a renowned Egyptologist. He has over 30 years of academic experience, having served as Vice-Dean of the Faculty of Tourism and Hospitality, Director of the Open Education Center, and Head of the Guides Department. He earned his Ph.D. in Egyptology from Paul-Valéry University of Montpellier III (France), where he also taught as a visiting professor multiple times.
From 2014 to 2016, El-Enany served as Director of the National Museum of Egyptian Civilization, and from 2015 to 2016 as Director of the Egyptian Museum in Cairo. Between 2016 and 2022, he was Egypt’s Minister of Antiquities, later Minister of Tourism and Antiquities.
He is a member of several international scientific societies. In November 2024, he was appointed Special Ambassador for Cultural Tourism by the UN World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) and serves as a patron of the African World Heritage Fund. El-Enany speaks Arabic, French and English fluently.
Khaled El-Enany becomes the 12th Director-General of UNESCO, the first Arab and the second African to hold this position — following Amadou-Mahtar M’Bow (Senegal, 1974–1987). He will serve a four-year term starting November 15, 2025.
UNESCO — the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization — is a specialized UN agency aimed at strengthening peace and security through international cooperation in the fields of education, science, culture, communication, and information. Headquartered in Paris, it has offices in 54 countries and employs over 2,300 staff members worldwide.
UNESCO oversees more than 2,000 World Heritage Sites, Biosphere Reserves, and Global Geoparks, as well as networks of Creative, Educational, and Sustainable Cities. It connects over 13,000 schools, university chairs, and research centers globally. The organization currently has 194 member states.