US decides to rejoin UNESCO, to counter Chinese influence

Paris: UN cultural and scientific agency UNESCO announced Monday that the United States plans to rejoin — and pay more than USD 600 million in back dues — after a decade-long dispute sparked by the organization's move to include Palestine as a member.

US officials say the decision to return was motivated by concern that China is filling the gap left by the US in UNESCO policymaking, notably in setting standards for artificial intelligence and technology education around the world. The US and Israel stopped funding UNESCO after it voted to include Palestine as a member state in 2011, and the Trump administration decided in 2017 to withdraw from the agency altogether the following year, citing long-running anti-Israel bias and management problems.

US Deputy Secretary of State for Management and Resources Richard Verma submitted a letter last week to UNESCO Director General Audrey Azoulay formalizing the plan to rejoin. Verma noted progress in depoliticising debate about the Middle East at UNESCO and reforming the agency's management, according to the hand-delivered letter, obtained by AP.

Applause rang out in the solemn UNESCO auditorium as Azoulay announced the plan to ambassadors at a special meeting Monday, and delegate after delegate stood up to welcome the news. The return of the US, once the agency's biggest funder, is expected to face a vote by its 193 member states next month, according to a UNESCO diplomat.

The decision is a big financial boost to the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, known for its World Heritage program as well as projects to fight climate change and teach girls to read.

China's ambassador to UNESCO, Jin Yang, said his country “appreciates” UNESCO's efforts to bring the US back, saying its absence had a “negative impact” on the agency's work.

“Being a member of an international organization is a serious issue, and we hope that the return of the US this time means it acknowledges the mission and the goals of the organization,” the ambassador said. Since her election in 2017, Azoulay has worked to address the reasons the US left, through budget reforms and building consensus among Jordanian, Palestinian and Israeli diplomats around sensitive UNESCO resolutions. Azoulay — who is Jewish — won broad praise by UNESCO ambassadors for her personal efforts to address US concerns around Israel in particular.

The US decision to come back “is the result of five years of work, during which we calmed tensions, notably on the Middle East, improved our response to contemporary challenges, resumed major initiatives on the ground and modernized the functioning of the organization,” Azoulay told The Associated Press. She met with Democrats and Republicans in Washington to explain those efforts, according to a UNESCO diplomat. Thanks to those bipartisan negotiations, UNESCO diplomats expressed confidence that the US decision to return is for the long term, regardless of who wins next year's presidential election.