Jill Biden Marks U.S. Re-Entry Into UNESCO With A Flag-Raising Ceremony In Paris

Relevance: GS 2 - Important International institutions, agencies and fora- their structure, mandate. Prelims

(Source: The Hindu, 07/26/23)

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Why in the news?

• Recently, US first lady Jill Biden attended a flag-raising ceremony at UNESCO in Paris, marking Washington’s official re-entry into the UN agency after a five-year absence. USA became the 194th member of UNESCO.
• The US under President Donald Trump left the agency in 2017 alleging that UNESCO was biased against Israel.

U.S. Re-Entry Into UNESCO

• The U.S. has re-entered UNESCO after a five-year absence, mainly due to concerns over China's increasing influence in international institutions.
• The U.S. was concerned that China has filled a leadership gap since Washington withdrew during the Trump administration.
• This is the second time the U.S. has returned to UNESCO after a period of withdrawal.
• The first exit was in 1984 under Reagan, citing mismanagement, corruption, and perceived Soviet interests. The US rejoined UNESCO in 2003 during George W. Bush's presidency.
• The Biden administration requested $150 million for the 2024 budget to go towards UNESCO dues and arrears, with plans for similar requests in the following years until the full debt of $619 million is paid off.
• This amount represents a significant portion of UNESCO's annual operating budget of $534 million, underscoring the substantial financial contribution the U.S. made to the agency before its withdrawal.
• The critics have alleged that the USA is using its finances in order to influence the decisions of UNESCO.

Why did the US leave the organization?

• The 2017 U.S. withdrawal from UNESCO was linked to alleged anti-Israel bias following the inclusion of Palestine as a member state in 2011.
• This led to the US halting the agency’s funding under then President Barack Obama.
• Israel and the United States considered UNESCO's inclusion of Palestine, criticism of Israel's occupation of East Jerusalem, and designation of Jewish sites as Palestinian heritage sites as examples of anti-Israel bias.

Other issues cited by the USA

• Before its withdrawal from UNESCO, the United States was the largest single funder of the organization, contributing 22% of its overall funding.
• UNESCO takes decisions based on majority votes, either of its General Secretariat which includes all 195 nations, or of the 58-member Executive Board. Israel says this creates a built-in majority for states that are hostile to it.
• Big countries like the United States that provide most of the funding say their single votes give them little input into how their money is spent.

About UNESCO

• The United Nations Educational Scientific and Cultural Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations that aims to build peace and cooperation through education, science, and culture.
• It was established on 16th November 1946 on the basis of a proposal of the Conference of Allied Ministers of Education (CAME).
• UNESCO's programs contribute to the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals defined in the 2030 Agenda, adopted by the UN General Assembly in 2015.
• UNESCO is the only UN Agency with a global network of national cooperating bodies known as National Commissions for UNESCO.
• Reports published by UNESCO include the Global Education Monitoring Report, Global Ocean Science Report, UNESCO State of the Education Report for India, etc.
• The World Heritage Sites Programme was established in 1972 at the 17th General Conference of UNESCO under the terms of the Convention on the Protection of World Culture and Natural Heritage.
• Headquarters: Paris, France
• Membership: UNESCO has 193 members and 11 associate members. Israel, USA, and Lichenstein are the UN members that are not members of UNESCO while the Cook Islands, Niue, and Palestine are UNESCO members that are not members of the UN.

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FAQs

MCQ

Question: With reference to UNESCO, consider the following statements.

1. All UNESCO members are members of the UN.
2. It implements the Man and Biosphere Programme.

Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

(a) 1 only

(b) 2 only

(c) Both

(d) None