UNESCO is “one of the rare places in the UN where we can find consensus between countries”, said Audrey Azoulay, after eight years leading UNESCO.

“We don’t exercise enough,” said France Inter, the woman who recently left her position as general director of the organization. It is “one of the rare venues for constructive diplomacy”, he stressed, considering the UN agency’s mission and achievements.

UNESCO is “one of the rare places in the UN where consensus between countries can be found”assured Saturday 15 November in France Inter French woman Audrey Azoulay, who has just left her position as general director of the organization. His successor, Egypt’s Khaled el-Enany, was officially elected on November 6, in a context of distrust towards the organization, marked by the departure of the United States announced last July. Washington accused Unesco of anti-Israel bias and promotion “cause of social and cultural division” and to defend “ideological and globalist roadmap”.

This organization promotes cooperation in the fields of education, science, culture and communication. It has 194 member countries, 54 offices on five continents. It is “one of the rare places for constructive diplomacy”Who wants it “from natural heritage and the main challenges of the ecological transition to digital challenges”said Audrey Azoulay. “Taking this fight everywhere is very important”he recalled, explaining that legacy “catalyzing the past, intergenerational relationships, history”.

In a war situation, “we saw how deeply attached communities are to protecting their heritage”, Audrey Azoulay’s observations. Here’s why “we have also developed these measures in response to the crisis”.

“Monitoring damage to cultural heritage, implementing reconstruction projects, allows us to train young people and restore this hope.”

Audrey Azoulay, former director general of UNESCO

at France Inter

He gave the example of Mosul, in Iraq, in Ukraine, or the Saint Hilarion monastery in the Gaza Strip which is on the list of world heritage in danger. “We registered it last year in the midst of the conflict, and what’s interesting, we registered it based on an agreement,” recalled the former director general.

In addition, for 8 years, mediation has been carried out within the organization: “Our tensions have reduced, I have carried out mediation by the secretariat to propose a consensus text, which previously did not happen”including for Gaza or Jerusalem, explained Audrey Azoulay. The idea came from us “refocus on our mission, to have a more technical but operational text”, he explained.

Despite everything, UNESCO has seen important member states leave such as Israel in 2017, then the United States, which has returned three times. “Unfortunately, Israel has not returned to UNESCO. I think Israel has its place”regrets Audrey Azoulay who thinks that Unesco does the same “The United Nations seeks to combat anti-Semitism through education, or remembrance of the Shoah. Now, more than ever, everyone must be involved, including the United States and Israel, on this issue”, he believes.