Dr. Khaled El-Anany elected as Director-General of UNESCO

Samarkand (Uzbekistan), November 6, 2025 (WAM) – The Islamic Republic of Mauritania participated today, Thursday, in the session dedicated to the election of the new Director-General of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), as part of the work of the 43rd session of the organization’s General Assembly, held in the city of Samarkand in the Republic of Uzbekistan.

Representing Mauritania at this important international event were His Excellency the Minister of Culture, Arts, Communication, and Relations with Parliament, the Government Spokesperson, Mr. Al-Hussein Ould Medou, along with Her Excellency Ambassador Moulaty Mokhtar Loumaïmed, the Permanent Delegate of our country to UNESCO, and a prominent delegation from the Ministry of Culture and the Permanent Delegation to the organization.

The election resulted in the selection of Dr. Khaled al-Anani, former Egyptian Minister of Tourism and Antiquities, and the candidate of the Arab League and the African Union, as the new Director-General of UNESCO for the period 2025-2029, succeeding Ms. Audrey Azoulay, who has led the organization since 2017.Dr. Khaled al-Anani is a professor of Egyptology and one of the leading specialists in the field of cultural heritage.

During his participation,  the Minister of Culture, Arts, Communication, and Relations with Parliament, Mr. El Houssein Ould Medou, expressed Mauritania’s commitment to actively contributing to UNESCO’s efforts to promote culture, education, science, and communication, affirming our country’s support for the candidate Khaled El-Anany and for initiatives that serve the organization’s goals and uphold shared human values.Her Excellency Ambassador Moulati Mokhtar Mohimeed also participated in the deliberations of the diplomatic delegations, highlighting Mauritania’s commitment to continuing coordination with member states to strengthen Arab and African presence within the organization.This participation continues Mauritania’s active presence in various bodies and forums of UNESCO, in line with the vision of His Excellency the President of the Republic, Mr. Mohamed Ould Cheikh El Ghazouani, to make culture a driver of development and a tool to entrench values of openness, diversity, and dialogue.