French Jew Picked To Lead UNESCO After Israel And U.S. Bolt
Graphic by Angelie Zaslavsky
The United Nations’ cultural agency has selected France’s Audrey Azoulay as its new director general, two diplomatic sources said on Friday.
UNESCO’s executive board voted 30 to 28 in favour of Azoulay, a former French culture minister, against Qatar’s Hamad bin Abdulaziz al-Kawari.
It will now be put forward for approval to UNESCO’s 195 members on Nov. 10.
The move comes just a day after the U.S. and Israel both announced plans to withdraw from the agency.
Azoulay was born in Paris to a Moroccan Jewish family from Essaouira. Her father is André Azoulay, an adviser to King Mohammed VI of Morocco
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