Again at UNESCO the United States, Russia and China voted against

A majority of member states voted to resume in a special session, the body said at its headquarters in Paris. Ten countries voted against Washington’s return, including Russia and China, which is expanding its influence over UNESCO.

Representatives from Russia, the Palestinian Territories and North Korea delayed consideration of the US application due to procedural delays. In addition to the three countries, Belarus, Eritrea, Indonesia, Iran, Nicaragua and Syria also voted against the US resumption.

Often, UNESCO is also a political battleground

“If you really want to say that you are involved in global cooperation on issues like climate change, freedom of the press or technological and scientific advances, you should be part of UNESCO. Why don’t we work together? Together for scientific and cultural heritage and progress? If you are on the right side of history, It is also a gain of “soft power”.

Scott Lucas, Professor Emeritus, University of Birmingham

The US government announced in early June that it wanted to rejoin UNESCO. Government sources in Washington expressed concern over the decision that China could take advantage of the gap created by the US withdrawal, particularly on standards for artificial intelligence and technology education.

“The Biden administration has recognized that if you’re not in UNESCO, you’re losing leadership or China’s leading position. There’s going to be some hype about US re-entry. The Chinese are saying you don’t through the Communist Party newspaper. If the US wants to gain an advantage over China, let it happen, let’s be honest — more The United States has been UNESCO’s biggest donor over the years, and they have a lot to offer to UNESCO in terms of cooperation. I think all of this will be welcomed globally.”

Scott Lucas, Professor Emeritus, University of Birmingham

The US State Department justified the return with reforms that would have made UNESCO more effective and new topics such as technology and environmental protection.