Egypt warns of politicization of UNESCO

CAIRO – 10 April 2018: Egypt has warned of the politicization of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).

The remark was made on Monday by Minister of Higher Education and Scientific Research Khalid Abdul Ghaffar, representing Egypt at the 204th session of UNESCO Executive Board in Paris.

The minister called for more focus on the UNESCO activities in the domains of education, culture and science.

He stressed the importance of implementing the issued recommendations of the previous session, held in November 2017 that the organization should not tackle political and unrelated topics and commit to its principles and goals.

Meanwhile, Egyptian Ambassador to France and UNESCO Ehab Badawi said that the Egyptian delegation had called for reviewing the UNESCO work methods and responsibilities of its secretariat which has reportedly been accused of interacting with some dubious organizations.

The Egyptian demand was widely supported by numerous countries, noted Badawi.