黑料社区

PARIS: The United Nations鈥� cultural agency selected former Egyptian tourism and antiquities minister Khaled El-Enany as its new chief on Monday, handing him the keys to revive UNESCO鈥檚 fortunes after the US withdrew from it for a second time.
El-Enany, 54, was up against 脡douard Firmin Matoko, 69, of Republic of Congo, but had been the favorite to win the secret ballot for a four-year term, having launched his campaign early in April 2023.
He had since built strong regional backing and international alliances.
UNESCO鈥檚 board, which represents 58 of the agency鈥檚 194 member states, elected him with 55 votes. Matoko won two votes. The United States did not vote.
The selection will now be put forward for approval to UNESCO members on November 6.
While outgoing chief Audrey Azoulay has worked to diversify funding sources, the UN culture and education agency still receives about 8 percent of its budget from Washington.
Once the US withdrawal takes effect at the end of 2026, that funding will be cut.
The White House described UNESCO as supporting 鈥渨oke, divisive cultural and social causes鈥� when Trump decided to pull the US out in July, repeating a move he took in his first term that was reversed by Joe Biden.
The agency, founded after World War Two to promote peace through international cooperation in education, science, and culture, is best known for designating and protecting archaeological and heritage sites, from the Galapagos Islands to the tombs of Timbuktu.
鈥淗ow come a country like Egypt, with its long history, with layers of Pharaonic, Greek, Roman, Coptic, Arab, Islamic civilization, has not led this important organization? This is not acceptable at all,鈥� Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty said in Paris last week.
But El-Enany has faced criticism at home from conservationists who accused his ministry of failing to shield sensitive heritage sites in Cairo and the Sinai Peninsula.
Azoulay, from France, has completed the maximum two four-year terms.