For the first time in its history, the presidency of the Arab World Institute (IMA) in Paris is expected to go to a woman, after 40 years of exclusively male leadership. Anne-Claire Legendre, President Emmanuel Macron’s adviser for North Africa and the Middle East, was nominated on Tuesday, February 17, in the morning, by the board of directors, following the abrupt departure of Jack Lang earlier in the month due to his long-standing relationship and alleged financial ties with the American sexual predator Jeffrey Epstein, before Epstein’s death in detention in 2019.

Legendre, 46, is a career diplomat who has been a member of the Elysée’s diplomatic team since December 2023, after serving as spokesperson for the Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs for just over two years. She was France’s consul general in New York from 2016 to 2020 also briefly headed the embassy in Kuwait.

At Macron’s side, this expert in the Arab world, a graduate of the National Institute for Oriental Languages and Civilizations (INALCO), was notably involved in France’s recognition of the State of Palestine. During that process, she was in contact with Arab countries, which had long awaited such a gesture from Paris. The decision was closely coordinated with a dozen capitals, including London, Ottawa and Canberra, in September 2025, on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly.

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