But she will lead at a difficult time for the agency.

Unesco is best known for designating World Heritage sites, more than 1,000 of them since 1972, including ones like Yosemite National Park in California and the Minaret of Jam in Afghanistan. It is also known for its educational programs, and it works extensively on the promotion of sex education, literacy, clean water and equality for women.

But it has suffered in recent years from a lack of funding as well as accusations of political bias, especially on matters related to the Israelis and Palestinians. Unesco member states have used the organization to rehash historical disputes, fight over competing claims to cultural heritage and challenge the international legitimacy of their rivals.

Recent examples include China and India filing rival claims over Tibetan medicine; Japan withholding funding after documents on the 1937 Nanjing massacre in China were added to Unesco’s Memory of the World list; and Serbia fighting to prevent Kosovo from becoming a member.

Regional rivalries were also on display during this week’s voting. Qatar, Egypt and Lebanon each fielded a candidate instead of uniting behind a common bid, even though Arab countries had long agreed that it was their turn to lead Unesco, which Westerners have directed repeatedly since its founding in 1945.

Bickering between Qatar and Egypt underscored divisions in the Arab world linked to a dispute between Saudi Arabia and Qatar that has split the Persian Gulf region. Egypt has backed Saudi Arabia and other Gulf States in their feud with Qatar, which they accuse of financing terrorism and of cozying up to Iran.

Qatar had lobbied extensively over the past two years for the Unesco position, and Mr. Kawari was seen as a favorite.

Moushira Khattab, a diplomat who was Egypt’s candidate, was eliminated from the race earlier on Friday after a preliminary vote to decide whether she or Ms. Azoulay would move into the final round. Both had received 18 votes in the fourth round of voting on Thursday.