Egypt’s Khaled El-Enany (Photo: @KhaledElEnany)

Egypt has nominated Dr. Khaled El-Enany as its candidate for the post of Director-General of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) for the period 2025-2029. This candidacy has been proudly endorsed by both the African Union and the League of Arab States in 2024.

In January 2025, El-Enany launched his campaign slogan for the UNESCO Director-General position: “UNESCO for the People – Africa’s Voice in the Global Community.”

His campaign is staunchly backed up by the Egyptian government, and continues to amass worldwide support, as several influential countries across all continents have declared their support for his candidature.

This nomination –as El-Enany believes– comes with huge responsibilities, given the unprecedented challenges facing humanity at large. To name a few, tens of millions of children hardly receive any form of education; cultural and natural heritage around the world is increasingly strictly endangered; and developing countries, particularly the least developed ones, remain unable to adequately reap the benefits of technology.

Such challenges are global, but more evident in Africa. Thus, it is conceivable that a homegrown torch-bearer leads global efforts addressing them, in a manner that fosters peace, stability and development within the continent and all over the world.

Against this backdrop, Dr. El-Enany aims to reinforce the values of peace and justice by devoting his rich academic and executive experiences to serve UNESCO and its goals as Director-General.

In catering to these goals, he staunchly believes in the power of dialogue, mutual respect, tolerance, inclusiveness and cultural diversity, while rejecting all forms of hatred, violence and discrimination.

So, who is he?

Dr. El-Enany (Khaled Ahmed El-Enany Ali Ezz), born in 1971, is a leading global figure recognized for his profound commitment and vast expertise in various fields.

The son of an engineer and a French teacher, Enany, grew up in the Roda district, a residential island on the Nile in the Egyptian capital, once known for its orchards and mansions, and now home to the Manial Palace Museum, built in the early 20th century by Mohammed Ali Tewfik, former governor of Egypt under the Ottomans.

A former Egyptian Minister of Tourism and Antiquities, he is currently a Professor of Egyptology at the University of Helwan, where he joined the teaching staff over 30 years ago.

He holds a PhD in Egyptology from the University of Paul-Valery Montpellier, France, which also awarded him the Honorary Doctorate in September 2024.

His mastery of Arabic, French and English testifies to his outstanding communication skills, a major asset in fostering inclusiveness and international cooperation.

During his ministerial term (2016-2023), in a spirit of preserving and promoting Egypt’s extensive cultural heritage, he inaugurated more than 20 museums in various governorates, including the National Museum of Egyptian Civilization, in collaboration with UNESCO.

He carried out over 50 restoration projects on archaeological sites and religious buildings, including Al-Azhar Mosque, Coptic churches and monasteries along the “Journey of the Holy Family”, as well as Jewish monuments like the “Eliahu Hanavi” Synagogue in Alexandria, all of which nurtured the right to worship and free practice of religion within these buildings.

Aiming to further strengthen intercultural exchanges as vectors for peace, El-Enany successfully orchestrated around 15 exhibitions of Egyptian antiquities in a dozen countries, and promoted Egyptian civilization globally through large-scale cultural events, such as the spectacular ceremonies of “Luxor: Avenue of the Sphinxes” and the awe-inspiring royal mummies’ procession in the streets of Cairo known as the “Golden Parade of the Pharaohs”.

For his remarkable accomplishments, El-Enany received a plethora of awards, accolades and global recognition, including from reputable institutions in France, Germany, Poland and Japan.

In November 2024, he was designated Special Ambassador for Cultural Tourism by the United Nations World Tourism Organization, and more recently, he has been selected Patron of the Africa World Heritage Fund, affirming the trust and confidence in his capability and expertise.

Dr. El-Enany’s Candidacy was endorsed by the 45th Ordinary Session of the Executive Council, held in Accra, Ghana, 18-19 July 2024. Indeed, through Dr. El-Enany, Africa shall have another sound voice in the global community, able to carry the continent’s interests to the forefront, among efforts to realize aspirations towards a “UNESCO for the people” and a better world.