Professor Mohamed Zinelabidine is Director of Culture and Communication at ICESCO in Rabat and served as Tunisia’s Minister of Cultural Affairs (2016–2020). A distinguished university professor and research director affiliated with Panthéon-Sorbonne–Tunis, he combines institutional leadership with deep engagement in cultural policy and heritage preservation.
He holds three doctoral degrees from Sorbonne universities (Paris I, IV and V) and is the author of more than 25 books and numerous scholarly articles. He has led and directed over 150 congresses, conferences, and symposia, shaping scholarly and public debates across the Mediterranean and beyond.
A renowned cultural figure, Prof. Zinelabidine’s honours include the Italian Presidential Medal for Culture (2001), Tunisia’s Grand Cordon of the National Order of Cultural Merit (2019), the National Prize for Culture (2005) and the Mediterranean Prize for Culture (2018). In 2024 he was named Ambassador of the United States of the World by Fondazione Mediterraneo.