Live UpdateFrom the Liveblog of Monday, September 11, 2023

UNESCO diplomat: Agency director worked for ‘years’ to secure Israel’s welcome to Riyadh

By AFP and ToI Staff 11 September 2023, 3:26 pm 0 Edit

The delegation from Israel attends the UNESCO Extended 45th session of the World Heritage Committee in Riyadh on September 11, 2023. (Rania SANJAR / AFP)

The delegation from Israel attends the UNESCO Extended 45th session of the World Heritage Committee in Riyadh on September 11, 2023. (Rania SANJAR / AFP)

A UNESCO diplomat says the agency’s director general, Audrey Azoulay, was instrumental in securing Israel’s participation at a UNESCO World Heritage Committee meeting in Riyadh.

“It’s the result of several years of work by Audrey Azoulay to create, in the heart of UNESCO, the conditions for a dialogue between all the states of the region,” said the diplomat, who did not want to be named.

An unnamed member of the Israeli delegation tells AFP that “we are happy to be here — it’s a good first step… we thank UNESCO and the Saudi authorities.”