Khattab rallies support for Egypt to win UNESCO top post

CAIRO – 21 September 2017: Egyptian Candidate for the UNESCO director-general post Moshira Khattab said on Thursday that she is conducting an “international intensive campaign” to support her nomination, Egypt’s news agency MENA reported.


Khattab added that she defends Egypt’s “right” to assume this position, especially it has political, cultural, economic, educational position in the Arab countries and African.


Khattab appreciated the world and African countries’ confidence in supporting her for the UNESCO post.


Ambassador Khattab is one of nine potential candidates running for the post of UNESCO’s Director-General in a 2017 tour to succeed Irina Bokova.

Khattab is an Egyptian diplomat, who has led a long and distinguished career as a human rights activist. Serving in Egypt’s diplomatic missions in Australia, Hungary, Austria and the United Nations (New York and Vienna), her human rights activist role for advocating the rights of children and women, and functioning as former Chair of the UN Committee on the Rights of the Child based at the UN Headquarters in Geneva round up her eclectic career.

Khattab was Minister of Family and Population in 2011. She also served as Egypt’s ambassador to South Africa, the Czech Republic and Slovakia.

UNESCO is the United Nations organization responsible for coordinating international cooperation in education, science, culture and communication.