The United States has rejoined UNESCO, the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, despite resistance from Russia and China. This marks a reversal from the decision made by former President Donald Trump, who withdrew the US from UNESCO in 2017 due to perceived bias against Israel.
A General Assembly of the UN body held on Friday saw a significant majority vote in favor of the US return, with 132 members voting in favor, 10 against, and 15 abstentions.
The US Ambassador to France, Denise Bauer, expressed the importance of the US rejoining, expressing gratitude for the leadership shown by key members of the assembly. However, opposition to the US re-entry came from Iran, Syria, China, North Korea, and Russia, who seemed to attempt delaying the vote through procedural comments and amendments.
The US was a key contributor to UNESCO’s budget until 2011, when the body admitted Palestine as a member state. This led to an end of contributions under US law and the formal withdrawal announcement in 2017. Audrey Azoulay, a former French culture minister who has headed UNESCO since 2017, made it her priority to reinstate the US, citing the decision as “a great day for UNESCO and for multilateralism”.
Although UNESCO’s budget had previously relied on a 22% contribution from the US, amounting to approximately $75 million, the current US Congress, fully controlled by President Joe Biden’s Democratic Party, has set aside $150 million for the US to restore its funding to UNESCO.
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken emphasized the importance of US presence within UNESCO, particularly in the ongoing development of rules, norms, and standards for artificial intelligence.
The US has previously withdrawn from UNESCO in 1984 and rejoined in 2003. The current membership arrears amount to $619 million for the period between 2011 and 2018, a debt the US has committed to paying off over the coming years.
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