Mounir Bouchenaki was elected Director-General of ICCROM (International Centre for the Study of the Preservation and Restoration of Cultural Property) in November 2005. His appointment at ICCROM follows a long career at UNESCO, where he was most recently Assistant Director-General for Culture. Previously, Mr. Bouchenaki had been Director of Antiquities, Museums and Historic Monuments in the Algerian Ministry of Culture and Information. Mr. Bouchenaki holds a Ph.D. in archaeology and ancient history from the Arts Faculty of Aix-en-Provence (France). He has been awarded the titles of Chevalier des Arts et des Lettres and Officier des Arts et des Lettres by the French Ministry of Culture, and in 2002 was raised to the rank of Commendatore of the Order of the Star of Italian Solidarity by the President of the Italian Republic. In April 2006 he has been nominated by the President of the Republic of France as Chevalier de la Légion d’Honneur.