Bulgaria’s Bokova is new UNESCO Director GeneralBeyond the Veil| Irina Bokova, Bulgaria’s ambassador to France and UNESCO, the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, narrowly defeated the Egyptian culture minister on Tuesday night to become the first woman to lead Unesco.

Bokova is an expert in arms control and a 57-year-old mother with two grown children who is a fervent advocate of political pluralism and European integration.