With over three decades at UNESCO, including several years in strategic leadership positions, Firmin Édouard Matoko is no stranger to the institution. He is fully committed to winning the elections. “UNESCO is first and foremost an idea in the service of peace, an idea born in the aftermath of a devastating world conflict,” Matoko states in his vision statement. This historical reminder is the foundation of his candidacy. For him, as today’s world is fractured by tensions, exclusion, misinformation, and identity-based divisions, UNESCO must once again become a privileged space for dialogue and international solidarity.

His vision is built around three fundamental pillars: respect for the organization’s Constitution; strengthening its governing bodies; and enhancing the Secretariat, which, he says, must work in synergy with institutional, academic, and civil society actors.