Khaled el-Enany. Photo: Collected

SAMARKAND, Uzbekistan, Nov 6, 2025 (BSS/AFP) - UNESCO on Thursday elected 
Egyptian Khaled el-Enany as its new chief, with the ex-minister tasked with 
steering the UN cultural agency through the political and financial 
consequences of US President Donald Trump's withdrawal from the organisation.

Enany, 54, an Egyptologist who served as Egypt's culture and antiquities 
minister from 2016 until 2022, was overwhelmingly chosen by member states to 
take over from France's Audrey Azoulay as director general at the UNESCO 
general conference in the Uzbek city of Samarkand.

He will take office on November 15 becoming the first representative of an 
Arab state and second from Africa to lead the organisation, which oversees 
the coveted world heritage list.

His election marked a diplomatic victory for Egypt under President Abdel 
Fattah al-Sisi, which wants to extend its international influence, despite 
criticism of its rights record. The country hosted the signing of a Gaza 
ceasefire agreement in October.

But Enany faces an immediate challenge after Trump's move, effective in 
December 2026, to pull the United States out of UNESCO, on the alleged 
grounds that it is biased against Israel and promotes "divisive" causes.

Trump had already ordered a withdrawal in 2017 during his first term. 
President Joe Biden reestablished US membership.

Israel also walked out of the body in 2017 and in May, Nicaragua left after 
UNESCO presented a press freedom award to an opposition newspaper.

The US pullout harms UNESCO's prestige and depletes its finances as it 
accouts for eight percent of the total budget. European countries are 
unwilling to stump up more funds at a time of increased pressure for defence 
spending.

After his election, Enany said he wanted a "strong and united UNESCO, a non-
politicised organisation that chooses consensus over divisions" and also 
vowed to make the budget "a priority".

Seeking to emphasise that its remit covers more than heritage, UNESCO is 
looking to advance in areas ranging from expanding access to education to 
embracing the healthy use of artificial intelligence.

Making up the funding gap could see greater use of the private sector, whose 
contributions represented only eight percent of the budget in 2024.

While praised by insiders as a hugely experienced professional capable of 
forging consensus, there has been controversy over the damage to Cairo's 
historic City of the Dead necropolis during urban development in 2020 while 
Enany was minister.