United States planning to rejoin UNESCO organisation after Donald Trump exit

The United States plans to rejoin the UNESCO organisation from this July onwards, the body announced on Monday.

The United States withdrew from the UN cultural agency in December 2018 under President Donald Trump over claims of "anti-Israel bias and mismanagement".

"It is a strong act of confidence in UNESCO and in multilateralism", UNESCO Director General Audrey Azoulay said in a statement announcing the rejoining of the US.

UNESCO is best known for designating World Heritage Sites such as the ancient city of Palmyra in Syria and the Grand Canyon National Park.

The proposed plan must now be submitted to the General Conference of UNESCO Member States for approval and some member states have called for an extraordinary session to be held soon to decide.

The United States provided one-fifth of the Paris-based agency's funding, but Trump's predecessor Barack Obama stopped paying in 2011 when the occupied Palestinian territories became a full member because such funding is barred by US law. Washington owed $542 million when it quit.

US laws prohibit funding to any UN agency that implies recognition of Palestinians demands for their own independent state. Washington is a staunch and long-term ally of Israel, who has illegally occupied the West Bank and east Jerusalem since 1967 following its invasion after the Six-Day War, as well as besiege the Gaza enclave.

An agreement reached at the US Congress in December 2022 makes it possible for Washington to re-start financial contributions to UNESCO.

Meanwhile, Azoulay - who was elected in 2017 and then vouched to restore the agency's efficiency and trust - has introduced reforms in recent years to address the reasons Washington left.

Israel also withdrew from UNESCO at the same time as the United States.

The United States initially joined UNESCO at its founding in 1945 but withdrew for the first time in 1984 in protest against alleged financial mismanagement and perceived anti-US bias, returning almost 20 years later in 2003 under President George W. Bush, who then said the agency had undertaken needed reforms.

(Reuters)