Bulgaria's Bokova wins UNESCO top post

23/09/2009

"I hope that we will be all together, with the representatives of the Arab world, of course, but also with all regional groups in UNESCO," said Bokova.

(The Times, The Scotsman, Dnevnik, The Sofia Echo, Novinite - 23/09/09; AP, Reuters, AFP, DPA, New York Times, VOA, BBC, UN News Centre, UNESCO - 22/09/09)

Former Bulgarian Foreign Minister Irina Bokova embraces UNESCO Executive Board Chairman Olabiyi Babalola Joseph Yaï on Tuesday (September 22nd) after being elected head of the UN culture agency. [Getty Images]

Bulgarian career diplomat Irina Bokova is set to become the first Eastern European -- as well as the first woman -- to head UNESCO. She won a narrow victory in the fifth and final round of voting for the post Tuesday (September 22nd).

Bulgaria's current ambassador to France and permanent delegate to UNESCO was elected director-general with the support of 31 of all 58 members of the education, science and culture body's executive board. Bokova, 57, defeated controversial Egyptian Culture Minister Farouk Hosni, 71, who received the remaining 27 votes.

On October 15th, the Bulgarian diplomat's nomination will be submitted to the UN's 193-member General Conference for formal approval. If her appointment is confirmed, Bokova will officially replace incumbent UNESCO Director-General Koichiro Matsuura in November, when his second four-year mandate ends.

There were nine candidates for the Japanese official's job as the voting for his successor began last week. While considered the favourite for the post for months, Hosni received only 22 votes in the first round Thursday, thus failing to secure the needed majority.

Four candidates -- Noureini Tidjani-Serpos of Benin, Ina Marciulionyte of Lithuania, Alexander Yakovenko of Russia and Sospeter Mwijarubi Muhongo of Tanzania -- withdrew from the race before the third round Saturday. As Algeria's Mohammed Bedjaoui, current EU Commissioner for External Relations Benita Ferrero-Waldner of Austria and Ecuadorean politician and diplomat Ivonne Baki also quit eventually, Hosni and Bokova were the last to remain in the competition.

The fourth ballot held late Monday produced a 29-29 tie and the voting headed to its fifth and final round.

If Hosni had won, he would have become the Arab world's first UNESCO director-general. But his bid was affected by anti-Semitic comments he made in the Egyptian parliament last year, when he threatened to burn Israeli books if he found any in local libraries. He has also been criticised for failing to stop censorship in Egypt during his 22 years as culture minister.

Bokova, whose chances of winning were initially viewed as slim, was able to gain ground as other candidates dropped out of the race.

During the campaign, she cited "Africa's development needs, especially in education, and those of the Small Island Developing States", as priorities if she were elected.

Speaking after the voting results became clear Tuesday, Bokova said all other contenders for the job had excellent ideas that she would not hesitate to borrow, and vowed to work very hard.

"I hope that we will be all together, with the representatives of the Arab world, of course, but also with all regional groups in UNESCO, because I have never believed in the clash of civilisations," she said in a brief statement. "UNESCO exists in order to bring tolerance, dialogue. Its task is cultural diversity. We need a new humanism."

Born in Sofia in 1952, Bokova studied at the Moscow State Institute of International Relations and at the University of Maryland's School of Public Affairs in the United States. She has served in different diplomatic and senior government posts, including as foreign minister for several months between 1996 and 1997. As the Bulgarian socialists' candidate for vice president in the 1996 presidential elections, she advocated her country's membership in the EU and NATO. She was a member of parliament from 2001 to 2005.

Bokova is fluent in English, Russian, Spanish and French.