The United States withdraws from Unesco, which it blames for recognising Palestine
Rights — di Andrea Barolini
The United States will leave Unesco by the end of 2018, accusing the United Nations agency of being “anti-Israeli”. Tel Aviv rejoices.
The United States withdraws from Unesco, which it blames for recognising Palestine
The United States will leave Unesco by the end of 2018, accusing the United Nations agency of being “anti-Israeli”. Tel Aviv rejoices.
Update 11:00 pm – Israel has also announced its withdrawal from Unesco, following the path set by the United States.
The United States announced, on 12 October, the decision to leave Unesco, the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization. Washington, which will retain the status of external observer, justified the decision by accusing the UN agency of being "anti-Israeli".
In 2011, Unesco admitted Palestine as a member state
Tensions between the United States and Unesco date back to 2011, when the Paris-based agency admitted Palestine as one of its member states. From that moment on, the American government decided to freeze all funding, which represented a severe blow to the international organisation: the US, in fact, had been contributing decisively to the total funds made available to the agency by the international community. The decision came by virtue of United States law, which prohibits the funding of any institution that recognises the Palestinian state.
The US State Department clarified that the withdrawal of the United States will take effect from 31 December 2018, in accordance with the timeframes set out in Unesco's statutes. "This is not a decision taken lightly – the Donald Trump administration explained – and it reflects our nation's concerns about the continuing anti-Israel bias and the need for fundamental reform within the organisation."
As early as the beginning of last July, Washington had indicated its intention to review its participation in Unesco. On that occasion, what had sparked American anger was the agency's decision to add the old city of Hebron, in the occupied West Bank, to the list of protected World Heritage Sites. Nikki Haley, the US ambassador to the UN, had spoken of an "affront to history" and a "discredit to an already highly questionable agency".
Israel: "A new era for the United Nations: those who discriminate against us will now pay"
Unesco Director-General Irina Bokova reacted to news of Washington's departure by expressing her "profound" regret at the decision. France, the country that hosts the agency's headquarters, also made clear that it did not share the American choice, "especially at a time when the support of the international community for this organisation is paramount." Israel, by contrast, spoke of the dawn of "a new era for the United Nations: one in which those who discriminate against our nation are obliged to pay the price for their choices."
In the coming days, Unesco will need to elect its new Director-General. The candidates vying for the leadership come from China, Vietnam, Azerbaijan, France, Egypt, Qatar, Lebanon and Iraq. Whoever takes over from Irina Bokova will need to find a way to steer the UN agency out of the severe crisis — above all a financial one — in which it currently finds itself.