Khaled El-Anany is the frontrunner tomorrow — God willing — for the post of Director-General of UNESCO
Why can Egypt this time — God willing — succeed in
bringing its candidate to the position of Director-General of UNESCO, after
three previous attempts in which we did not manage to secure the highest votes:
• 1999: Ismail Serageldin (later Director of
the Library of Alexandria) ran, but was unsuccessful.
• 2009: Farouk Hosni, former Minister of
Culture, came very close to winning, but the election ended with the victory of
Bulgaria’s Irina Bokova after intense rounds.
• 2017: Mrs. Moshira Khattab, former
Minister of Family and Population, received broad support, but lost in the
final round to France’s Audrey Azoulay.
This time, the chances are stronger for several reasons:
1. For the first time, the Arab League
unanimously decided to support Egypt’s candidate, Dr. Khaled El-Anany.
2. For the first time, France — the host
country and chair of this session — declared its full support for the Egyptian
candidate.
3. Strong backing from African ambassadors and
representatives within the organization.
4. Egypt’s civilizational weight as a nation
rooted in history for thousands of years, embracing multiple civilizations —
Pharaonic, Coptic, Arab, Islamic, and modern — making it a unique cultural
alloy in the entire world.
5. The qualifications and expertise of Dr.
Khaled El-Anany himself, a distinguished Egyptologist before becoming Minister
of Antiquities, responsible for safeguarding the world’s greatest human
heritage: Ancient Egyptian antiquities.
For all these reasons, we can say with confidence and
hope that Dr. Khaled El-Anany is the closest — God willing — to winning the
post of Director-General of UNESCO, becoming the first Arab to lead this
organization. Tomorrow evening, Monday, we hope to share with Egyptians and the
world the glad tidings of his victory.
Let us all keep Dr. Khaled El-Anany in our prayers.
