US to Rejoin UN Cultural Agency, Pay Extra Money
2023-06-16
LRC
TXT
大字
小字
滚动
全页
1The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) announced recently that the United States plans to rejoin the organization.
2UNESCO said the U.S. would pay more than $600 million to the U.N. agency that it had withheld in the past.
3The change comes after a 10-year dispute caused by UNESCO's decision to include Palestine as a member.
4U.S. officials suggested their decision was a result of concerns about China's possible influence in UNESCO policymaking.
5Of special interest to the U.S. are policies regarding artificial intelligence and technology education around the world.
6The U.S. and Israel stopped financing UNESCO after it voted to include Palestine as a member state in 2011.
7In 2017, the administration of former U.S. President Donald Trump announced its withdrawal from the agency.
8The withdrawal took effect in 2018. The U.S. pointed to what it called the agency's anti-Israel bias and management problems.
9U.S. Deputy Secretary of State for Management and Resources Richard Verma submitted a letter to UNESCO Director General Audrey Azoulay explaining the plan to rejoin.
10Verma noted progress in the debate about the Middle East at UNESCO and improvements in the agency's management.
11The Associated Press (AP) reported that it looked at the letter Verma sent.
12Delegates welcomed the news as Azoulay announced the plan at a special meeting.
13The return of the U.S., once the agency's biggest supporter, is expected to face a vote by its 193 member states next month, a UNESCO diplomat said.
14UNESCO is known for its World Heritage program as well as projects to fight climate change and to teach girls how to read.
15China's ambassador to UNESCO, Jin Yang, said his country "appreciates" UNESCO's efforts to bring the U.S. back, saying its absence had a "negative" effect on the agency's work.
16Since her election in 2017, Azoulay said she has worked to deal with the reasons the U.S. withdrew. Azoulay is Jewish.
17UNESCO ambassadors praised her efforts to deal with U.S. concerns about Israel.
18One UNESCO diplomat said she met with Democrat and Republican Party lawmakers in Washington to explain those efforts.
19UNESCO diplomats expressed confidence that the U.S. decision to return is for the long term, regardless of who wins next year's presidential election.
20The AP did not give the names of the diplomats.
21Under the new plan, the U.S. government would pay its 2023 amount plus $10 million more this year.
22The extra payment is to be spent on Holocaust education, preserving cultural heritage in Ukraine, journalist safety, and science and technology education in Africa, Verma's letter said.
23The administration of U.S. President Joe Biden has already requested $150 million for the 2024 budget to go toward UNESCO payments.
24The plan predicts similar requests for the following years until $619 million is paid.
25Undersecretary of State for Management John Bass said in March that the U.S. absence from UNESCO has strengthened China.
26He said UNESCO is important in deciding how technology and science teaching takes place around the world.
27"We can't afford to be absent any longer," he said.
28I'm John Russell.
1The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) announced recently that the United States plans to rejoin the organization. 2UNESCO said the U.S. would pay more than $600 million to the U.N. agency that it had withheld in the past. 3The change comes after a 10-year dispute caused by UNESCO's decision to include Palestine as a member. 4U.S. officials suggested their decision was a result of concerns about China's possible influence in UNESCO policymaking. Of special interest to the U.S. are policies regarding artificial intelligence and technology education around the world. 5The U.S. and Israel stopped financing UNESCO after it voted to include Palestine as a member state in 2011. In 2017, the administration of former U.S. President Donald Trump announced its withdrawal from the agency. The withdrawal took effect in 2018. The U.S. pointed to what it called the agency's anti-Israel bias and management problems. 6U.S. Deputy Secretary of State for Management and Resources Richard Verma submitted a letter to UNESCO Director General Audrey Azoulay explaining the plan to rejoin. Verma noted progress in the debate about the Middle East at UNESCO and improvements in the agency's management. The Associated Press (AP) reported that it looked at the letter Verma sent. 7Delegates welcomed the news as Azoulay announced the plan at a special meeting. The return of the U.S., once the agency's biggest supporter, is expected to face a vote by its 193 member states next month, a UNESCO diplomat said. 8UNESCO is known for its World Heritage program as well as projects to fight climate change and to teach girls how to read. 9China's ambassador to UNESCO, Jin Yang, said his country "appreciates" UNESCO's efforts to bring the U.S. back, saying its absence had a "negative" effect on the agency's work. 10Since her election in 2017, Azoulay said she has worked to deal with the reasons the U.S. withdrew. Azoulay is Jewish. UNESCO ambassadors praised her efforts to deal with U.S. concerns about Israel. 11One UNESCO diplomat said she met with Democrat and Republican Party lawmakers in Washington to explain those efforts. 12UNESCO diplomats expressed confidence that the U.S. decision to return is for the long term, regardless of who wins next year's presidential election. The AP did not give the names of the diplomats. 13Under the new plan, the U.S. government would pay its 2023 amount plus $10 million more this year. The extra payment is to be spent on Holocaust education, preserving cultural heritage in Ukraine, journalist safety, and science and technology education in Africa, Verma's letter said. 14The administration of U.S. President Joe Biden has already requested $150 million for the 2024 budget to go toward UNESCO payments. The plan predicts similar requests for the following years until $619 million is paid. 15Undersecretary of State for Management John Bass said in March that the U.S. absence from UNESCO has strengthened China. 16He said UNESCO is important in deciding how technology and science teaching takes place around the world. "We can't afford to be absent any longer," he said. 17I'm John Russell. 18Angela Charlton reported on this story for the Associated Press. John Russell adapted it for VOA Learning English. 19___________________________________________________________________ 20Words in This Story 21bias - n. a tendency to treat some people unfairly 22management -n. the act of, process or people supervising or overseeing the activities of a group or organization 23appreciate - v. to be grateful for (something); to understand the importance of something 24preserve - v. to keep something in good condition 25absent -adj. to not be present