Richard Verma, US Deputy Secretary of State, informed Azoulay in a message about Washington’s intention. The Director-General presented the document to representatives of the 193 Member States at the Organization’s headquarters in Paris.
Re-admission of the United States requires the support of the majority of other countries. The vote is expected to take place in July.
In October 2017, during the presidency of Donald Trump, the United States announced that it would withdraw from UNESCO, Criticizing the organization’s “persistent bias against Israel.” The withdrawal began with Israel’s withdrawal taking effect in December 2018.
But in March last year, Secretary of State Antony Blinken believed that the absence of the United States allowed China to exert greater influence on the rules of artificial intelligence,
Like the United States when UNESCO made a recommendation on AI ethics in 2021.
When Palestine was admitted to UNESCO in 2011, the United States, under President Barack Obama, halted all funding to UNESCO, forfeiting 22 percent of the organization’s budget.
The United States’ debt to UNESCO between 2011 and 2018 is now $619 million, more than the organization’s estimated annual budget of $534 million. The US said, according to a letter written by Richard Verma, that the administration has requested $150 million from the US Congress for fiscal year 2024 and the same amount in subsequent years for Americans to settle their arrears.
The United States left UNESCO once in 1984, during the presidency of Ronald Reagan, stating that the organization was not beneficial to the country, and then returned to the organization in October 2003.
Cover photo: Shutterstock
