With only a few months left for the election of the new director general of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), the failure of Arab countries to agree on a single candidate is threatening to deprive them of the chance to seriously compete for the top job.

Among the nine candidates who applied for the post from across the world, four are from the Arab region: Moushira Khattab from Egypt, Hamad bin Abdulaziz Al Kawari from Qatar, Saleh Al Hasnawi from Iraq and Vera El Khoury Lacoeuilhe from Lebanon.
Other candidates vying for the post are Qian Tang from China, Audrey Azoulay from France, Polad Bulbuloglu from Azerbaijan, Pham Sanh Chau from Vietnam, and Juan Alfonso Fuentes Soria from Guatemala.
The presence of the four candidates from the Arab countries would negatively impact Arab chances to win the important post, Kuwait's Delegate to the UNESCO Meshaal Hayyat told Kuwait News Agency (KUNA)..
Hayyat pointed out that the Executive Board would elect the new director general by secret ballot during the board's 202nd session in October.
A total of 58 board members, including seven from Arab countries (Egypt, Qatar, Lebanon, Morocco, Algeria, Sultanate of Oman, and Sudan) will choose the new director general, he said.
He noted that the nine candidates were interviewed during the 201st board session on April 26-27 about their vision for the job.
The director-general of UNESCO is the Organization's chief administrative officer. He or she may be appointed initially for a period of four years, and may be appointed for a further term of four years, but shall not be eligible for reappointment for a subsequent term.
Hayyat viewed that the Chinese candidate Qian Tang who is supported by the Asian group on the board, as one of the most prominent nominees.
He added that France’s competition for the post was not welcome and caused unease among members.
France is the UNESCO host country, and the tradition is that countries hosting UN agencies should not seek the top post of the organization it hosts, he said.
The Arab countries' failure to stand united behind one candidate cost real chances for Arabs to win UNECO’s top posts in 1999, 2009 and 2013 elections.
Current Director General of UNECO Bulgarian Irina Bokova won the post with a margin of three votes in 2009 after a fierce competition with Egyptian former culture minister Farouq Hosni due to the presence of another Arab candidate from Algeria, KUNA said.
The same scenario was repeated in 2013 when the competition between two Arab candidates from Djibouti and Lebanon opened the door for Bokova to win a second term in office. The UNESCO is a specialized agency of the United Nations based in Paris. Its declared purpose is to contribute to peace and security by promoting international collaboration through educational, scientific, and cultural reforms in order to increase universal respect for justice, the rule of law, and human rights along with fundamental freedom proclaimed in the United Nations Charter.
The UNESCO has 195 member states and ten associate members. Most of its field offices are "cluster" offices covering three or more countries; national and regional offices also exist.
The constitution of UNESCO was introduced and signed by 37 countries in a conference held in London in November 1945.
On November 4, 1946, the UNESCO's constitution came into force with the deposit of the twentieth ratification by a member state

Source: BNA