UN cultural organization
UNESCO recognizes US return as a boost
First Lady Jill Biden (l), actor Forest Whitaker and UNESCO Director General Audrey Azoulay in Paris. photo
© Bertrand Guay/POOL AFP/AP/dpa
After many years, the USA is back in the UNESCO circle: this is being duly celebrated in Paris.
The return of the United States to UNESCO about two weeks ago strengthened the institution’s universality. US First Lady Jill Biden said: “We are so proud to rejoin UNESCO.” The US flag was then hoisted alongside those of other UNESCO member states.
In June it became known that the USA wanted to return to UNESCO after about five and a half years. In the political dispute in connection with the Middle East conflict, which overshadowed the work of UNESCO for many years, the USA initially suspended its contributions to the international organization in 2011. At the end of 2017, under President Donald Trump, they announced that they would withdraw from the UN organization. The United States and Israel accused the organization of bias towards Israel and politicization.
When Secretary General Azoulay took office in 2017, she set herself the task of leading UNESCO out of the crisis and continuing to involve the USA and Israel. According to Unesco, the US has welcomed the way in which UNESCO has faced new challenges, modernized its management and eased political tensions in recent years. An administrative reform launched in 2018 has made Unesco more efficient and financially sound.
At the ceremony in Paris, Jill Biden warned that numerous major challenges cannot be mastered in isolation. She also praised education as one of the most important shared tools to shape the future and change the world. Unesco was founded in the spirit of sharing ideas, opening minds and giving people the tools to develop.