BREAKING: Egypt’s Former Minister of Tourism Khaled El-Enany elected UNESCO Director-General for 4-Year Term

CAIRO – 6 October 2025: Egypt’s academic and former Minister of Tourism and Antiquities, Professor Khaled El-Enany, has been elected as the new Director-General of UNESCO for a four-year term, serving from 2025 to 2029.

During its 222nd session, UNESCO’s Executive Board elected Enani as the new Director-General, selecting him over Congolese diplomat Firmin Edouard Matoko to succeed Audrey Azoulay, who has served two four-year terms since 2017.

Born in 1971, El-Enany served as Minister of Antiquities from 2016 to 2019, and subsequently as Minister of Tourism and Antiquities following the merger of the two ministries.

Currently, he is a Professor of Egyptology at Helwan University, where he also earned his bachelor's degree in 1992 from the Department of Tourism Guidance (French Section), Faculty of Tourism and Hotel Management (FTH).

He began his career as a tour guide for two years before becoming a teaching assistant at the Faculty of Tourism and Hotel Management.

Between 2006 and 2016, El-Enany worked as an associate researcher, expert Egyptologist, and member of the Administrative and Scientific Councils at the French Institute of Oriental Archaeology (IFAO). During that period, he also served as the General Supervisor of the National Museum of Egyptian Civilization from 2014 to 2016.

In 2015, he was named a corresponding member of the German Archaeological Institute in Berlin. That same year, he was also appointed General Supervisor of the Egyptian Museum in Cairo, a post he held until 2016.

In recognition of his cultural contributions, El-Enany was awarded the Order of the Rising Sun by Japan in 2021. That same year, he played a key role in organizing the globally acclaimed Pharaohs’ Golden Parade, which saw the relocation of 22 ancient Egyptian mummies from the Egyptian Museum in Tahrir Square to the National Museum of Egyptian Civilization in Fustat, Old Cairo.

In 2025, he received the Knight of the National Order of the Legion of Honor from France and was named Patron of the African World Heritage Fund. In 2024, he was appointed Special Ambassador for Cultural Tourism by UN Tourism and was awarded an Honorary Doctorate from the University Paul-Valéry Montpellier 3.

Since 2023, El-Enany has served on the Board of Trustees of the French University in Cairo and other educational institutions in Egypt.

According to MENA News Agency, the African Union endorsed his nomination through three successive resolutions during its summits in February 2024, July 2024, and July 2025.