Hot Q&A: The United States Demands to Return to UNESCO Three Questions on Joining Again | Conference | United States

Xinhua News Agency, Beijing, June 29th - Hotspot Q&A: Three Questions on the United States Demanding a Return to UNESCO

Xinhua News Agency reporter

The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization held a meeting from June 29th to 30th to discuss the United States rejoining the organization. The United States has twice withdrawn from UNESCO, with the last withdrawal being in 2018. Why has the United States retreated and returned this time?

What is the purpose of the United States

The schedule of UNESCO shows that from June 29th to 30th, the organization will hold its fifth special meeting to discuss "financial issues related to the return of the United States as a member state to the organization.". It is reported that the meeting will decide whether the United States can return to the organization.

The US government sent a letter to UNESCO in early June informing them of its decision to rejoin the organization. In March this year, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken urged the US Congress to allocate 150 million US dollars to promote the return of the US to UNESCO.

When explaining the purpose of the grant, Antony Blinken said that this was not a gift to UNESCO, but because what the organization was doing was very important. They are developing rules, regulations, and standards related to artificial intelligence. We hope to participate in them.

US officials have also repeatedly hinted that rejoining UNESCO will help the US compete with China on a global level.

One of the primary issues that the United States needs to address when returning to UNESCO is to repay its debts. According to media reports, the United States has accumulated a debt of 619 million US dollars to UNESCO. The US side stated in a letter to UNESCO that it will pay in installments over the next few years, including "having the US Congress allocate $150 million for fiscal year 2024, pay the US assessed contributions for 2024, and repay the US debt.".

On June 12th, UNESCO Director General Azoule briefed representatives of member states on the United States' request to rejoin the organization.

What does the international community think

In an interview published in the Belgian newspaper Libertadores on June 15th, Romuard Siola, a researcher at the French Institute of International Relations and Strategy and an expert on international issues, stated that the United States rejoining UNESCO "is good news for multilateral organizations", but there is "a lot of hypocrisy and deception" involved.

Theola believes that the decision of the United States is aimed at gaining more influence on education, science, and cultural issues, as well as a "seductive behavior" aimed at gaining support from some individuals before the US presidential election.

The United States has twice withdrawn from UNESCO. In 1984, the United States announced its withdrawal from UNESCO citing issues such as corruption and disorderly management, but rejoined in 2003. In October 2017, the United States once again announced its decision to withdraw from UNESCO, stating that the main considerations of this decision included increasing arrears, the need for fundamental institutional reforms, and concerns about the organization's continued bias against Israel. This withdrawal officially took effect on December 31, 2018.

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin expressed on June 13 this year that he hopes the US will make a responsible decision to support multilateralism and promote international cooperation in response to the US's arbitrary "withdrawal" and "entry" into the group.

Wang Wenbin stated that the United States has twice withdrawn from UNESCO, which has had a negative impact on its work. "As a member of an international organization, it is a very serious matter. If the United States sincerely rejoins this time, it should demonstrate its sincerity in complying with international rules and respecting the international rule of law, and effectively fulfill its international obligations as a responsible country, including paying the overdue dues to UNESCO in full as soon as possible. Joining an international organization should not be seen as a stroll in the park, just come and leave if you want. Moreover, international organizations should not be seen as a geopolitical game field, seeking to maintain their so-called 'global leadership' under the guise of the international community."

How much do you know about "leaving the group" in the United States

In addition to UNESCO, since the 1980s, the United States has also withdrawn from international organizations or agreements such as the United Nations Human Rights Council, the World Health Organization, the Paris Agreement on Climate Change, the Iran nuclear agreement, the arms trade treaty, the China Missile System Treaty, and the Open Sky Treaty, among which there have been cases of returning and returning.

For example, in June 2018, the United States announced its withdrawal from the United Nations Human Rights Council on the grounds of "bias" against Israel and "inability to effectively protect human rights". In February 2021, it announced its candidacy for membership in the Human Rights Council from 2022 to 2024, and stated that countries with poor human rights records should not become members of the Council.

Stephen Walter, a professor of international relations at Harvard University in the United States, once wrote on the Foreign Policy website that when the United States believes that the international order is unfavorable to itself, it ignores, avoids, or changes the order according to its own will.