Audrey Azoulay

Director-General, UNESCO


A graduate of France’s ENA and Sciences Po, Paris, she holds a diploma in Business Administration from the University of Lancaster. Having worked in the sector of culture since the start of her career, Azoulay has focused on the funding of French public broadcasting and the modernization of France’s film support system.

In 2014, as an advisor on culture to the French President, she developed a protection plan for endangered heritage, which she later implemented as Minister of Culture and Communication. She also prioritized improving children’s access to culture with the launch of artistic/cultural education programs. With a commitment to intercultural and intergenerational dialogue to advance education and the dissemination of scientific and cultural knowledge, she is determined to maintain this at UNESCO. She will spare no effort in ensuring that UNESCO fulfills its universal mandate in promoting humanism and openness and serving as a driving force in the UN.