A State Department spokesman informed Axios on June 8, that the United States notified the United Nations Educational Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) that it has chosen to rejoin the organisation nearly six years after the Trump administration declared its withdrawal.
When the Biden administration entered office, it stated that it intended to rejoin UNESCO. And later on in March, Under Secretary of State for Management, John Bass, stated that the administration considered re-entering UNESCO as it could assist the United States in its worldwide competition with China, which has spent their finances heavily in UN agencies.
The United States wishes to rejoin UNESCO and start paying off its dues immediately in order to run for a seat on UNESCO's executive board in the upcoming elections in November says the source. The United States owes the organisation a considerable sum of money for past-due fees payments. However, the administration put aside $150mn in its current budget plan early this year to cover expenses for a return to UNESCO.
The Trump administration announced its withdrawal from UNESCO in October 2017 in response to anti-Israel prejudice. Not long later, Israel announced its withdrawal from the organisation as well. Both the US and Israel stated that they intend to continue to work on protecting world historic sites in their respective nations, and Washington also stated that it will keep participating as an observer.
The United States and UNESCO have been in an unstable relationship over the last four decades, primarily on ideological problems during the Cold War and, more recently, the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
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