Forced to resign after the opening of an investigation into his links with financier Jeffrey Epstein, Jack Lang (86 years old) handed over the presidency of the Arab World Institute (IMA) to Anne-Claire Legendre (46 years old). Chosen by the board of directors, she became the first woman to occupy this position. A graduate of INALCO, Sciences-Po and the Sorbonne, this career diplomat is a specialist in the Maghreb and the Middle East.
Since December 2023, Anne-Claire Legendre has held a position within the diplomatic cell of the Élysée, after having been spokesperson for the Ministry of Europe and Foreign Affairs (2020 2023). She had previously served as Consul General of France in New York (2016-2020) and was briefly French Ambassador to Kuwait. The Quai d’Orsay emphasizes that it has “the necessary experience, (his) qualities and (his) strategic vision” to assume the presidency of the IMA.
According to The Worldthree other candidates had been interviewed the day before by Jean-Noël Barrot, the Minister of Foreign Affairs. They are Sabrina Agresti-Roubache (former Secretary of State for the city), Karim Amellal (former ambassador and interministerial delegate for the Mediterranean), and Olivier Poivre d’Arvor, current ambassador for the poles.
Created in 1980 by Valéry Giscard d’Estaing and 22 Arab States, the IMA was inaugurated in 1987 by François Mitterrand. Its emblematic building, designed by architect Jean Nouvel, integrates traditional Arab-Muslim motifs (240 motorized moucharabiehs) into an ultra-modern facade. The IMA operates as a private foundation under French law, recognized as being of public utility, financed mainly by the French State and its own revenues.
