Meet Moushira Khattab: Egyptian nominee for UNESCO Director General

CAIRO-30 April 2017: Egyptian ambassador Moushira Khattab is one of nine potential candidates running for the post of UNESCO’s Director-General in a 2017 tour to succeed succeed Irina Bokova.

Some Egyptian political parties and civil organizations announced their support for the 70-year-old diplomat in her nomination for UNESCO's post.

Khattab's nomination was strongly promoted by the National Council for Women (NCW), which announced its support following the news that Irina Bokova had been nominated by her native country to become the next UN Secretary General.

“Khattab’s nomination is a milestone in the history of Egyptian women in highly influential international positions, and is a testament to her honorable career. The nomination should be held up as an example, proving that Egyptian women have the qualities to compete for the highest national and international positions.” The president of NCW, Maya Morsy, revealed.

“We support women in all political fields and Khattab’s nomination signifies an achievement for an Egyptian woman who thrived in politics. She had a prolific career, holding various positions”. Ghada Sakr, the Secretary of the Parliament’s Culture and Media Committee, added.

Sakr indicated that a high profile promotion campaign is being planned by the Egyptian Foreign Ministry, which endeavors to promote in Egyptian embassies in 58 countries, to support Khattab.

Ambassador Moushira Mahmoud Khattab is an Egyptian diplomat who has led a long and distinguished career as a human rights activist.

Khattab has received a Ph.D in Child’s Rights from Cairo University; in addition to an M.A. in International Relations from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, USA and a B.A. in Political Science from Cairo University's Faculty of Economics and Political Science.

She was ranked third in 2013 out of the five leading female human rights activists in the Middle East and North Africa.

Among Khattab’s eminent job positions are her diplomatic and the ministerial duties as the Former minister of the family and population in Egypt, Former Assistant Minister of Foreign Affairs, and Ambassador of Egypt to the Republic of South Africa, the Czech Republic and Slovakia.

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.