Undoing Trump's withdrawal, US rejoins UNESCO
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Trump resigned from the body in 2017 after accusing it of anti-"Israel" bias.
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The logo of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) is seen during the 39th session of the General Conference at the UNESCO headquarters in Paris, Saturday, Nov. 4, 2017. (AP)
The US rejoined UNESCO on Friday, reversing its resignation during the Trump administration, according to the UN's cultural body.
In 2017, Donald Trump resigned from the body along with "Israel", accusing the organization of bias against the Israeli entity, a move that took effect in 2018.
According to Director-General Audrey Azoulay at the beginning of June, the US would rejoin "on the basis of a concrete financing plan," which has since been submitted for approval to the General Conference of UNESCO Member States.
An AFP reporter present at the vote reported that an emergency session of the UN body's General Assembly voted decisively in favor of the US' return, with about 132 members voting in favor,
10 votes were against the US rejoining, including Iran, Syria, China, and Russia, while 15 were abstentions.
When the members of UNESCO voted to admit Palestine as a full member in October 2011, tensions between the US administration and the organization deteriorated. Although Palestine is a non-member observer state at the UN, several powerful nations, including the US, do not formally recognize it.
Read more: European commission urges trial of 'Israel' for war crimes
After taking office in January 2021, the Biden administration worried that the Chinese government was having an excessive and growing influence on the UN's policy agenda due to the absence of the US.
China became UNESCO's top donor to the organization's annual budget after the US withdrew, with its donations to the organization reaching almost $65 million.
Chinese diplomat Xing Qu was named UNESCO's deputy director-general in March 2018. China is now the second-most protected country in the world, behind Italy, thanks to the World Heritage Committee's protection of 56 Chinese heritage sites.
