CAIRO — Egypt’s former tourism and antiquities minister Khaled El-Enany is expected to be confirmed as UNESCO’s next director-general on Thursday, despite calls from heritage groups questioning his record in protecting Egypt’s cultural heritage.
Enany, 54, was overwhelmingly backed by UNESCO’s 58-member Executive Board last month, receiving 55 votes against Edouard Firmin Matoko of Congo-Brazzaville. His appointment as the first Arab to lead the UN’s cultural and education agency will be formally voted on by 194 member states during the general conference in Samarkand, Uzbekistan.
The Berlin-based NGO World Heritage Watch urged countries to reconsider Enany’s appointment, citing the demolition of parts of Cairo’s “City of the Dead” and controversial development projects near St. Catherine’s Monastery in Sinai both UNESCO World Heritage sites.
“It is irresponsible to entrust someone with such a past with the top job at the organisation responsible for preserving world heritage,” the NGO said in a letter endorsed by more than 50 heritage experts.
An Egyptologist and former museum director, Enany served as minister from 2016 to 2022. Conservationists accuse his ministry of neglecting heritage preservation duties as highway and bridge projects destroyed sections of Cairo’s 10-square-kilometre necropolis home to historic tombs of Mamluk sultans and Islamic scholars.
“What happened in the cemeteries is erasing a huge part of Egypt's history,” said heritage advocate Sally Soliman, who has filed lawsuits to stop the demolitions.
The government defends the projects as essential for tourism and urban renewal, insisting that registered monuments were spared.
Despite the criticism, Enany has received strong backing from Arab and African nations. “Egypt’s candidature is overdue representation,” Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty said in Paris, calling it a step toward correcting “historical injustice” at the UN agency.
Enany has pledged to “build a UNESCO for the people,” streamline decision-making, and diversify funding as the organization faces financial uncertainty following the expected withdrawal of U.S. contributions in 2026.
If confirmed, he will assume office in mid-November, succeeding France’s Audrey Azoulay after two terms.