Morocco's Aziza Bennani Elected President of UNESCO Executive Committee

Morocco's permanent representative to the UNESCO, Aziza Bennani, was elected Monday President of the UN agency's executive council.

Elected unanimously at the first round of the vote, Ms. Bennani will replace Honduran Sonia Mendieta de Badaroux.

The Moroccan diplomat becomes the first Arab woman to hold the position.

"The election is an honor for me and for my country, which is resolutely engaged on the path of modernization and democratization and which shares with UNESCO the values of tolerance, dialogue and peace," said Ms. Bennani, a former Moroccan culture minister (1994-1998).

The 58-member UNESCO executive council meets twice a year to assess the implementation of the projects adopted by the organization's general conference.