First Lady Jill Biden to mark US reentry into UNESCO with flag-raising ceremony in Paris

US had announced its intention to rejoin UNESCO in June, and the organisation's 193-member states earlier this month

Paris: United States First Lady Jill Biden is in Paris on Tuesday to attend a flag-raising ceremony at UNESCO, marking the United States’ official reentry into the United Nations’ educational, scientific and cultural organisation after a five-year hiatus.

Biden will also make remarks about the importance of American leadership in preserving cultural heritage and empowering education and science across the globe.

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The US had announced its intention to rejoin UNESCO in June, and the organisation’s 193-member states earlier this month voted to approve the US reentry. Tuesday’s ceremony, which will also feature a speech by UNESCO’s Director General Audrey Azoulay, will formally signify the US becoming the 194th member of the body.

The US decision to return to the Paris-based UNESCO was based mainly on concerns that China has filled a leadership gap since the US withdrew during the Trump administration.

The US exit from UNESCO in 2017 cited an alleged anti-Israel bias within the organisation. The decision followed a 2011 move by UNESCO to include Palestine as a member state, which led the US and Israel to cease financing the agency. The US withdrawal became official a year later in 2018.

In preparation for its return, the Biden administration requested $150 million for the 2024 budget to go toward UNESCO dues and arrears, with plans for similar requests in the ensuing years until the full debt of $619 million is paid off.

Before its departure, the US was the single biggest funder of UNESCO, contributing 22% of the agency’s overall funding, a significant portion of UNESCO’s $534 million annual operating budget.

This is the second time the US has returned to UNESCO after a period of withdrawal. The country previously left the organisation in 1984 under the Reagan administration, citing mismanagement, corruption, and perceived advancement of Soviet interests. It rejoined in 2003 under George W Bush’s presidency.