U.S. decides to rejoin UNESCO to counter Chinese influence, will pay arrears
LA TimesThe U.S. plans to rejoin UNESCO, the U.N.’s cultural and scientific arm, whose headquarters in Paris are shown. The United Nations’ cultural and scientific agency, UNESCO, announced Monday that the U.S. plans to rejoin — and will pay more than $600 million in back dues — after a decade-long dispute sparked by the organization’s move to include Palestine as a member. “It’s also an important day for multilateralism.’’ U.S. Deputy Secretary of State for Management and Resources Richard Verma submitted a letter last week to Azoulay formalizing the plan to rejoin. Undersecretary of State for Management John Bass said in March that the U.S. absence from UNESCO has strengthened China and ’’undercuts our ability to be as effective in promoting our vision of a free world.” He said UNESCO was key in setting and shaping standards for technology and science teaching around the world, “so if we’re really serious about the digital-age competition with China … we can’t afford to be absent any longer.” The U.S. decision doesn’t address the status of Palestine. Thanks to those bipartisan negotiations, UNESCO diplomats expressed confidence that the U.S. decision to return is for the long term, regardless of who wins next year’s presidential election.
History of this topic
UNESCO votes to readmit the U.S.
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