Sharjah 24 – AFP: The United States rejoined UNESCO on Friday, reversing its withdrawal during the Trump administration, the UN's cultural agency said.
Donald Trump announced in 2017 that he was pulling the United States out of UNESCO, alongside Israel, accusing the body of bias against the Jewish state, a decision that took effect in 2018.
An extraordinary session of the UN body's General Assembly voted overwhelmingly for the return of the United States, with around 132 members voting in favour, 10 against and 15 abstentions.
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.
Audrey Azoulay, a former French culture minister who has headed UNESCO since 2017, made it a priority of her term to bring the US back.
"This is a great day for UNESCO and for multilateralism," Azoulay said on Friday.
"Thanks to the momentum it has recovered these past years, our organisation is again moving towards universalism with the return of the United States," she said.
Until the suspension of its contributions in 2011 -- decided during the Obama administration -- the US paid about 22 percent of UNESCO's budget, or $75 million.
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