Editor's Note:UNESCO is set to appoint its next Director-General. The 58-member Executive Board will select a candidate by secret ballot during its 222nd session in October. The final appointment will be made by all Member States at the 43rd UNESCO General Conference in Samarkand, Uzbekistan. Firmin Edouard Matoko, one of the candidates for Director-General, recently contributed an article to FTChinese.com outlining his vision for UNESCO's cooperation with the Global South.

Firmin Edouard Matoko is a senior international official with over three decades of experience in the Organization. Born in Brazzaville, Republic of the Congo, he studied economics and international relations in Italy and France before joining UNESCO in 1990. His career includes roles as Director of UNESCO multi-country offices in Africa and Latin America, Director of the Africa Department at Headquarters, and, since 2017, Assistant Director-General for Priority Africa and External Relations. A diplomat and thinker, Matoko is known for his commitment to multilateralism, peace, and sustainable development, particularly for the Global South. Other candidates include Khaled El-Enany, Egypt’s former Minister of Tourism and Antiquities.

This article was authored by Firmin Edouard Matoko for FTChinese.com.