The United States officially joined UNESCO, which it had abandoned during the presidency of Donald Trump (2017-2021), following a favorable vote at an extraordinary general conference of this UN specialized agency in Paris.
“Resolution Adopted”the president of the assembly, Brazilian Santiago Irazabal Mourão, announced a round of applause.
A total of 132 states voted for the return of the Americans, 15 abstained and ten opposed, including Iran, Syria, China and especially Russia, whose delegation was numerous on Thursday. with the aim of prolonging the debates.
“We would welcome Washington’s intention” to be part of UNESCO (United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization) again, which would “enable us to strengthen our organization”, but “we think they are trying to take us to a parallel world, which is really all the absurd descriptions of the books of Lewis Carroll (author of ‘Alice in Wonderland’)”, a Russian diplomat argued today.
“In this distorted space, those who defend democracy and the rule of law are beginning to lead us to violate these norms and usurp privileged rights”he continued, arguing that the United States must pay its debts to UNESCO in full before it can rejoin, while Washington is proposing to do so in stages.
An Iranian diplomat for his part maintained that “the manner in which the United States has requested the return is not acceptable”, indicating “a violation of the spirit of the constitution” of this institution.
Washington left UNESCO in October 2017, condemning the organization’s “persistent anti-Israel positions”. His departure, accompanied by that of Israel, took effect in December 2018.
As of 2011, and Palestine’s admission to UNESCO, the United States, then led by President Barack Obama, suspended all funding to the UN specialized agency, which was a huge setback as contributions from North American companies accounted for 22% of its budget.
But Washington, in a letter addressed to UNESCO Director-General Audrey Azoulay in early June this year, proposed “a plan” to return it to the organization.
Currently, the US debt to UNESCO incurred between 2011 and 2018 stands at US$619 million (EUR567 million) – that’s more than the specialized agency’s annual budget, estimated at US$534 million (EUR489 million). President Joe Biden’s administration indicated that it had asked Congress to disburse $150 million (137.4 million euros) for fiscal year 2024, with an equivalent amount to be paid in subsequent years, “until the has been settled” the country’s debt to Unesco.
Source: DN
