The construction of UNESCO in Paris ©UNESCO / Michel Ravassard
The United States officially joined the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) after a five-year absence. literacy, among other global issues.
The U. S. government The U. S. government announced it was seeking to rejoin UNESCO in June, and member states voted overwhelmingly to readmit the country in a two-day referendum that expired last month. on the UN body, with China expanding its contributions to UNESCO to around $65 million. The readmission of the United States, which comes to the return of more than $600 million in contributions, is an attempt to counter this withholding.
“This is a historic moment,” UNESCO Director-General Audrey Azoulay said in a statement. “Our Organization is once again moving towards universality. . . This is news for multilateralism as a whole. If we are to face the demanding situations of our century, there can only be a collective response.
The United States, which helped discover UNESCO after World War II, officially withdrew from the company in 2019 during the Trump administration. Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley called it “one of the most corrupt and politically biased UN agencies. “Tensions had been rising for years, when the U. S. had been in the U. S. The U. S. and Israel stopped investing in UNESCO after voting to admit Palestine as a full member in 2011.
Biden’s management has asked for $150 million in the fiscal year 2024 budget to begin paying U. S. club arrears. In total, the U. S. is about $619 million.
“The return of the United States, and the additional resources that come with it, will allow us to improve everyone in the world: students, researchers, scholars, artists, educators, journalists, all those on whom our daily work is focused. “, he said Azoulay. La UNESCO will also have more resources for its two strategic priorities, Africa and gender equality.