The United States, whose Unesco member states voted by a large majority in late June to return to that UN body, is now fully part of it after completing final procedures, the Paris-based body said on Tuesday.
• Also read: A UNESCO-protected 8th-century Japanese temple destroyed by a young Canadian
“The return of the United States to UNESCO is effective: you have officially rejoined our organization,” the organization’s Director-General, Audrey Azoulay, hailed a “victory” for Unesco in a press release.
According to Unesco, at the end of June about “90% of those present and voting (countries) had already voted in favor of the United States rejoining the United Nations Educational, Cultural and Scientific Organization, which Washington had left under Donald Trump.
However, the United States has yet to “officially accept” UNESCO’s constitution, which it did on Monday, according to a UN diplomat. The UK, which deposited that document, should then register that decision, which “has just been made,” according to the press release received by AFP on Tuesday, entitled “The United States will become UNESCO’s 194th member state.”
On Sunday, Audrey Azoulay spoke by phone to US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken, who promised her “increased support” for UNESCO’s actions on “education in Africa, heritage protection in Ukraine, Holocaust remembrance and freedom from”. the press,” according to the UN organization.
Washington withdrew from UNESCO in October 2017, denouncing the institution’s “persistent anti-Israeli bias”. This withdrawal, accompanied by that of Israel, has been in effect since December 2018.
His return is part of a broader context of growing rivalry with China as Beijing looks to reshape the international multilateral order created after World War II and from which UNESCO emerged.
Only ten countries opposed the US return at the end of June, including Iran, Syria, China, North Korea and especially Russia, which deliberately significantly slowed down the debates and failed to reverse the outcome.
The United States had already withdrawn from UNESCO in 1984 under Ronald Reagan, citing the organization’s alleged uselessness and budget overflow, which it then reinstated in October 2003.
Her return is a relief to the organization, whose American contributions made up 22% of the budget. Washington has pledged to fully repay its arrears, which total $619 million, more than UNESCO’s annual budget of $534 million.