by John Irish
PARIS, June 29 (Reuters) – The 193 member states of UNESCO are expected to approve the return of the United States to the UN organization at the end of the week, almost five years after former US President Donald Trump slammed the door accusing him of anti-Israel bias and mismanagement.
Born from the ashes of the Second World War with the objective of protecting the cultural heritage of humanity, Unesco was plunged into turmoil after the withdrawal of the United States, which provided a fifth of its funding.
The US State Department announced in a letter this month Washington’s intention to return to the organization in July as an alternate member and pay $619 million in arrears in installments over several years.
Member states will take a decision at an extraordinary session on Thursday and Friday.
“Since our withdrawal from UNESCO on December 31, 2018, we have noted UNESCO’s efforts to implement key managerial and administrative reforms, as well as its emphasis on depoliticizing debates, particularly on issues of the Middle East,” reads the June 8 letter seen by Reuters.
Unesco Director-General Audrey Azoulay has sought to ease certain political tensions and polarizations, as well as to manage the organization more effectively from a financial perspective while finding ways to fill the financial void left by departure from the United States.
“It comes after a work of conviction, pedagogy and explanation of the current realities of Unesco”, she told journalists, adding that there had been a “work” with American parliamentarians For many months.
While most of Unesco’s activities are uncontroversial, some issues – such as resolutions on how religious sites in Jerusalem should be managed – have caused tension.
Audrey Azoulay declared that this was now a thing of the past, after a consensus was found between Israel, which left UNESCO in the wake of the United States, and the Palestinians.
For now, there is no discussion of Israel returning to the organization, she said.
If American law prohibits Washington from funding UN organizations that have accepted Palestine as a full member, the American Congress this year approved a waiver that allows the United States to return to UNESCO.
This derogation, valid until the end of 2025, was justified by the desire to control the growing influence of China within UNESCO, of which Beijing is one of the main donors.
In response to the possible return of the United States, China underlined that it had to be constructive and not to oppose a State, declared Audrey Azoulay.
Washington has announced that it intends to contribute $150 million for 2024, including its annual contribution and arrears, as well as voluntary funding of $10 million which should in part be used for an education program on the Holocaust and to preserve Ukraine’s cultural heritage.
(Reporting by John Irish; French version by Jean Terzian, edited by Kate Entringer)
2023-06-29 07:00:00
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