US plans to return to UNESCO in July

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The country left the group in December 2018. At the time, the US State Department said that “it was not an easy decision and reflects US concerns about late payments at UNESCO” Archive image of UNESCO headquarters in Paris Reuters/Philippe Wojazer The United States has said it plans to rejoin the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (Unesco) in July, the group told the United Nations Cultural Agency. The country left the group in December 2018. At the time, the US State Department said that “it was not an easy decision and reflects US concerns about late payments at UNESCO, the need for fundamental reforms in the organization and the continuation of the anti-Israel bias at Unesco”. The US substantially reduced its cash contributions to UNESCO in 2011 in protest against the decision to allow Palestinians full membership. At the time, US funding amounted to just over 20% of total funding for Unesco, the first UN agency in which Palestinians sought full membership. USA, Canada and Germany voted against the Palestinians’ entry. Brazil, Russia, China, India, South Africa and France, among others, voted in favour. With the decision to leave the organization, UNESCO Director-General Irina Bokova said she deeply regrets the US decision to withdraw from the organisation, after receiving official notice from US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson.

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