UNESCO Director-General Audrey Azoulay has for years worked to address the reasons the United States left the agency (Photo: AP)
Metropolis Desk-
After a ten-year disagreement prompted by the organization’s decision to admit Palestine as a member, the United States has declared its intention to rejoin UNESCO and pay more than $600 million in overdue dues.
At a special meeting on Monday, UNESCO Director-General Audrey Azoulay notified the ambassadors of the member states of the US decision.
According to US sources, the decision to return was driven by worries that China is filling the policymaking void left by the US at UNESCO, particularly in terms of establishing benchmarks for artificial intelligence and technology education globally.
Azoulay received a letter last week formalizing the strategy from US Deputy Secretary of State for Management and Resources Richard Verma.
The General Conference of UNESCO Member States would then be asked to officially approve the planned proposal to rejoin in 2023. The US has asked to rejoin, and Beijing will not object, the Chinese envoy to the UN cultural organization said on Monday.
Yang Jin responded to Washington’s call for a return by saying, “UNESCO needs the cooperation of all member states to carry out its missions. The choice represents a significant financial boost for UNESCO, which is well-known for its World Heritage program as well as initiatives to combat climate change and teach girls to read. After the agency voted to admit Palestine as a member state in 2011, the US and Israel ceased supporting it, and both nations were denied the opportunity to vote in 2013.
The Trump administration decided in 2017 to completely leave the agency the next year, alleging management issues and anti-Israel prejudice.
Verma praised efforts by UNESCO toward management reform and “declining politicized debate, especially on Middle East issues” in his letter from last week.
Azoulay has tried to address the reasons the US withdrew through budget reforms and fostering agreement among Jordanian, Palestinian, and Israeli diplomats on contentious UNESCO resolutions ever since she was elected in 2017.
The US’s decision to return “is the result of five years of work, during which we eased tensions, particularly in the Middle East, improved our response to contemporary challenges, resumed significant initiatives on the ground, and modernized the organization’s functioning,” Azoulay told The Associated Press news agency.
The plan calls for the US government to pay its 2023 dues along with $10 million in bonus contributions this year that will be used to support Holocaust education, Ukrainian cultural heritage preservation, journalist safety, and science and technology education in Africa, according to Verma’s letter.
The Biden administration has already asked for $150 million for UNESCO dues and arrears in the 2024 budget. Similar requests will be made in the upcoming years up until the $619 million debt is fully repaid, according to the plan.
That accounts for a sizable portion of UNESCO’s $534 million operational budget. Before leaving, the US provided 22% of the total funds for the organization.
Source – Al Jazeera
