The United States has announced its intention to leave the United Nations Organisation for Education, Science and Culture (UNESCO) by December 31, over claims of negative bias towards Israel.
The State Department said it had made the decision because of long-standing financial arrears, a lack of reforms, and the perception that the body was anti-Israeli.
During the George W. Bush presidency his ambassador to the global body, John Bolton, caustically remarked that its New York headquarters could usefully lose a third of its floor space without it being missed, and for some time the US has been putting pressure on the UN to reform and, in its opinion, be less welcoming to views that oppose US interests.
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The “Department of State notified UNESCO Director-General Irina Bokova of the US decision to withdraw from the organization and to seek to establish a permanent observer mission to UNESCO,” State Department spokesperson Heather Nauert said.
“This decision was not taken lightly, and reflects US concerns with mounting arrears at UNESCO, the need for fundamental reform in the organization, and continuing anti-Israel bias at UNESCO,” she added.
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