During its golden age at the United Nations, Egyptians held high-ranking international positions.
Rania Al-Mashat appointed Executive Secretary of ESCWA
Written by: Mohammed Salem
In recent years, Egypt has witnessed a strong surge in its citizens assuming high-level international positions at the United Nations, stemming from Cairo’s diplomatic weight and the expertise of its citizens in various fields.
In this regard, the Secretary-General of the United Nations, Antonio Guterres, announced on Tuesday the appointment of Dr. Rania Al-Mashat as the new Executive Secretary of the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia (ESCWA).
Who is Rania Al-Mashat?
Dr. Rania Al-Mashat is an Egyptian international expert in economic diplomacy, with more than 25 years of experience in macroeconomic policies, central banks and monetary policy frameworks, sustainable economic and social development, and structural and institutional reforms.
Al-Mashat served as a minister for eight consecutive years (2018-2026) in Egypt, holding three key portfolios: Tourism, International Cooperation, and Planning and Economic Development and International Cooperation. Prior to that, she served as Deputy Governor of the Central Bank of Egypt for Monetary Policy (2005-2016), where she played a pivotal role in modernizing the bank's monetary policy strategy.
Al-Mashat also served as an advisor to the Chief Economist of the International Monetary Fund and as a Senior Economist at the IMF in Washington (2016-2018, 2001-2005). She has also served on the boards and advisory bodies of several international financial and development alliances and institutions, including the World Bank Group, the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, the European Investment Bank, the Islamic Development Bank, and the African Development Bank.
Egyptians in the leadership of the United Nations
The appointment of Dr. Rania Al-Mashat as the new Executive Secretary of ESCWA is the latest of the high-level international positions recently assumed by Egyptians at the United Nations, during Egypt’s most prosperous era at the UN.
It is worth noting that the new position of Al-Mashat was previously held by two other Egyptians, Dr. Hazem El-Beblawi and Ambassador Mervat Tallawy.
This was preceded by the victory of Dr. Khaled El-Enany, the former Egyptian Minister of Tourism and Antiquities, in October 2025, in the position of Director-General of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).
As for Dr. Yasmine Fouad, the former Egyptian Minister of Environment, she was appointed by Antonio Guterres, the Secretary-General of the United Nations, in May 2025, as the new Executive Secretary of the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification.
Meanwhile, Ambassador Majid Abdel Fattah serves as the Permanent Representative of the League of Arab States to the United Nations in New York, where he is considered the most prominent Arab diplomatic voice within the UN organization.
Dr. Mahmoud Mohieldin, a prominent Egyptian economist, has also served as the UN Secretary-General’s Special Envoy on Financing the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development since February 2020.
In conclusion, Egypt also had its share of having one of its sons assume the position of Secretary of Information for the United Nations, a position held by Boutros Boutros-Ghali, the Egyptian politician and diplomat, as the first Arab and African to assume the position of Secretary-General of the United Nations, between 1992 and 1996.
