Egypt’s Enany to Lead UNESCO Amid Controversy over Heritage Record

Egypt’s former tourism and antiquities minister Khaled El-Enany is poised to become the head of UNESCO despite facing backlash from heritage groups over his handling of cultural sites in Egypt, like Cairo’s ‘City of the Dead’. Enany, 54, secured 55 out of 58 votes from UNESCO’s Executive Board, outvoting Edouard Firmin Matoko. The confirmation vote will take place at the general conference in Uzbekistan. World Heritage Watch and other organizations have raised concerns about Enany’s track record, pointing to the destruction of parts of Cairo’s historic necropolis and tourism development near St Catherine’s Monastery in Sinai, both UNESCO World Heritage sites.