Despite opposition from Russia and China, the United States officially reentered UNESCO on Friday, reversing its decision to leave the organization during the Trump administration.
The United States on Friday rejoined UNESCO, which it had quit during the Trump administration, despite opposition from Russia and China.
Former president Donald Trump announced in 2017 that he was pulling the United States out of UNESCO, accusing the body of bias against Israel. The decision took effect in 2018.
The United States, a founding member of UNESCO, was a major contributor to its budget until 2011, when the body admitted Palestine as a member state.
That triggered an end to the contributions under US law, leading up to the formal withdrawal announcement six years later.
Several member states also expressed satisfaction with the result. Until the suspension of its contributions in 2011, the US paid about 22 percent of UNESCO’s budget, or $75 million.
But the US Congress, then fully controlled by the Democratic Party of current President Joe Biden, in December paved the way for the United States to restore funding, setting aside $150 million in the budget.
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said in March that the US absence from UNESCO was letting China write rules on artificial intelligence.
Khalil Wakim, with AFP
