UNESCO announced Monday that the United States plans to rejoin the UN cultural and scientific agency —and pay more than $600 million in back dues — after a decade-long dispute sparked by the organization’s move to include Palestine as a member. Know more:
FILE – The logo of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation is seen during the 39th session of the General Conference at the UNESCO headquarters in Paris, Saturday, Nov. 4, 2017. The United States is ready to rejoin the U.N. cultural and scientific agency UNESCO – and pay more than $600 million in back dues — after a decade-long dispute sparked by the organization’s move to include Palestine as a member.
UNESCO’s director general, Audrey Azoulay, has worked to address those concerns since her election in 2017, and that appears to have paid off. The decision is a big boost to the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, known for its While Palestinian membership in UNESCO was the trigger for the U.S. fallout with the agency, its return is more about China’s growing influence.
The U.S. decision doesn’t address the status of Palestine. While it’s a member of UNESCO, on the ground, the Palestinians are further away from independence than ever. There have not been serious peace talks in over a decade, and Israel’s new government is filled with hardliners who oppose Palestinian independence.
UNESCO director Azoulay, who is Jewish, won broad praise for her personal efforts to build consensus among Jordanian, Palestinian and Israeli diplomats around sensitive UNESCO resolutions. She met with Democrats and Republicans in Congress to explain those efforts. Thanks to those bipartisan negotiations, she expressed confidence that the US decision to return is for the long term, regardless of who wins next year’s presidential election.
The Biden administration has already requested $150 million for the 2024 budget to go toward UNESCO dues and arrears. The plan foresees similar requests for the ensuing years until the full debt of $619 million is paid off.
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