Mushira Khattab asks Paraguay’s support to win UNESCO post

CAIRO – 28 August 2017: The Egyptian Ambassador Mushira Khattab, nominee for the UNESCO Director-General, visited Paraguay on August 26 as a part of her campaign to win the UNESCO post.

The Minister of Foreign Affairs of Paraguay Eladio Loizaga Caballero welcomed the Ambassador in Pinino Lopez palace on August 26.

Khattab has expressed her willingness to depend on Paraguay’s support to win the post.
She has referred during the visit that she has the necessary skills for this post as an Arab diplomatic woman that has lots of achievements in UNESCO.

During the meeting, she delivered a letter from Abdel Fattah al-Sisi to Loizaga inviting the national advisor of Paraguay to visit Egypt and affirming the close relations between the two states. In addition, President Sisi seeks to inaugurate an exhibition of Pharaonic replicas in the cooperation with Paraguayan authorities.

He stressed in the letter his belief in countries’ right to participate in and promote UNESCO activities besides the importance of promoting the role of education to achieve all the targets of UNESCO.

Egypt nominated Khattab for the post of UNESCO Director-General in July 2016, while she received the African countries’ support at the African Summit in Addis Ababa in July 2017.

She is one of nine candidates running for the position, which could make her the second woman and first Egyptian citizen to win that post. She pledges a more focused, transparent and effective UNESCO that delivers by remaining closer to the people.