The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization is set to choose a new director-general, with Egyptian antiquities professor Khaled el-Enany and Congolese economist Firmin Édouard Matoko as the leading candidates. The winner will face the challenge of steering the organization through a significant financial crisis following the recent withdrawal of the United States, which has left a major funding gap. El-Enany, backed by the African Union and Arab League, is expected to focus on cultural programs and combating religious intolerance, while Matoko, a longtime insider, emphasizes technical solutions and budgetary discipline. The decision comes as the organization and the wider United Nations system grapple with financial pressures and geopolitical divisions, especially over conflicts in Gaza and Ukraine.