TLDR: The 43rd UNESCO General Conference, held in Samarkand, Uzbekistan, from October 30 to November 13, 2025, saw the appointment of Khaled El-Enany as the new Director-General. A significant outcome was the historic adoption of the UNESCO Recommendation on the Ethics of Neurotechnology, the first global normative framework in this field. The conference also emphasized the ethical governance of emerging technologies, including artificial intelligence.
The 43rd Session of UNESCO’s General Conference concluded on November 13, 2025, in Samarkand, Uzbekistan, marking a pivotal moment for the organization as it convened outside Paris for the first time in over forty years. The conference, which commenced on October 30, brought together Member States to address global challenges and chart a course for international cooperation in education, science, culture, and information.
A key highlight of the session was the formal appointment of Khaled El-Enany as UNESCO’s next Director-General on November 6, following his nomination by the Executive Board in October. Outgoing Director-General Audrey Azoulay emphasized UNESCO’s role, stating, “We are shaping frameworks that protect human dignity and rights in the face of transformative innovation.” El-Enany, in his address, underscored the importance of dialogue, asserting, “Faced with global crises, UNESCO must be the house of dialogue: the place where diagnoses are shared, where cross-cutting projects are built, where consensus is constructed, where a shared universality becomes possible.”
Technology and its ethical implications were a central theme throughout the conference. A historic achievement was the adoption of the UNESCO Recommendation on the Ethics of Neurotechnology, establishing the world’s first global normative framework for governing this rapidly evolving field. This recommendation aims to set essential guardrails to ensure neurotechnology serves humanity without compromising human rights, reaffirming UNESCO’s position as the ‘world’s ethical compass in science and technology.’
The ethical challenges posed by new technologies, particularly artificial intelligence (AI), were extensively discussed. Several side events and thematic panels explored these issues, including a session on AI in museums, which gathered over 80 museum directors and representatives from leading AI companies. The conference also hosted the inaugural UNESCO–Uzbekistan Beruniy Prize ceremony, celebrating outstanding research and international cooperation in advancing AI ethics in alignment with UNESCO’s global framework.
In other significant developments, Bangladesh achieved a historic milestone with the election of H.E. Mr. Khondker M. Talha, Ambassador to France and Permanent Delegate to UNESCO, as President of the 43rd General Conference. This election, held on October 7, 2025, underscored international confidence in Bangladesh’s leadership and commitment to UNESCO’s values. Member States also elected new members to the Executive Board on November 7, for a four-year term. The conference concluded with a resolution expressing profound gratitude to the people and Government of Uzbekistan for their exceptional hospitality.
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South Africa’s delegation, led by Minister of Science, Technology and Innovation Prof. Blade Nzimande, actively participated, focusing on shaping global standards for the ethics of artificial intelligence and open science, and contributing to multilateral frameworks for innovation and environmental sustainability.
