The US plans to rejoin Unesco in July, nearly five years after the country withdrew from the UN's culture agency under former president Donald Trump over allegations of anti-Israel bias.
“This is a strong act of confidence in Unesco and in multilateralism,” Audrey Azoulay, the agency's director general, said in a statement on Monday.
The agency's stated mission is to “contribute to the building of a culture of peace, the eradication of poverty, sustainable development and intercultural dialogue through education, the sciences, culture, communication and information”.
It is perhaps best known, however, for designating World Heritage sites such as Palmyra in Syria and the Taj Mahal in India. The agency is also undertaking the restoration of historic buildings in Mosul, Iraq, that were damaged during the fight against ISIS.
The culture agency said the US State Department sent a letter to Ms Azoulay welcoming “the way in which Unesco had addressed in recent years emerging challenges, modernised its management, and reduced political tensions”.
The letter noted progress Unesco has made in depoliticising debate on the Middle East, the Associated Press reported.
Ms Azoulay has spent years working with Jordanian, Palestinian and Israeli diplomats to address sensitive topics. She told AP that the US return to Unesco is the result of years of work of calming tension, “notably in the Middle East”.
Former president Barack Obama's administration cut funding to Unesco in 2011 after Palestine joined the agency. US law prohibits funding any agency that recognises Palestinian statehood.
Mr Trump announced in 2017 his intention to pull the US out of the agency entirely. Israel withdrew from Unesco at the same time the US did in 2018.
Congress approved a waiver in December from President Joe Biden's administration to rejoin Unesco,
Rejoining the agency has been one of Mr Biden's top priorities since taking office, mainly to counter the influence China has gained since the US withdrawal.
Unesco said the US inclusion in the culture agency would be on the basis of a “concrete financing plan”. Washington was one of the agency's leading financial supporters when it left in 2018 and owed $542 million when it withdrew.
The proposal will be voted on next month, ABC News reported, citing a Unesco diplomat. Some member states requested an extraordinary session to be held soon so a vote could be made, the agency said.
23-man shortlist for next six Hall of Fame inductees
Tony Adams, David Beckham, Dennis Bergkamp, Sol Campbell, Eric Cantona, Andrew Cole, Ashley Cole, Didier Drogba, Les Ferdinand, Rio Ferdinand, Robbie Fowler, Steven Gerrard, Roy Keane, Frank Lampard, Matt Le Tissier, Michael Owen, Peter Schmeichel, Paul Scholes, John Terry, Robin van Persie, Nemanja Vidic, Patrick Viera, Ian Wright.
Sole survivors
- Cecelia Crocker was on board Northwest Airlines Flight 255 in 1987 when it crashed in Detroit, killing 154 people, including her parents and brother. The plane had hit a light pole on take off
- George Lamson Jr, from Minnesota, was on a Galaxy Airlines flight that crashed in Reno in 1985, killing 68 people. His entire seat was launched out of the plane
- Bahia Bakari, then 12, survived when a Yemenia Airways flight crashed near the Comoros in 2009, killing 152. She was found clinging to wreckage after floating in the ocean for 13 hours.
- Jim Polehinke was the co-pilot and sole survivor of a 2006 Comair flight that crashed in Lexington, Kentucky, killing 49.
Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
Tree of Hell
Starring: Raed Zeno, Hadi Awada, Dr Mohammad Abdalla
Director: Raed Zeno
Rating: 4/5
More from Rashmee Roshan Lall
NEW ARRIVALS
Benjamin Mendy (Monaco) - £51.75m (Dh247.94m)
Kyle Walker (Tottenham Hotspur) - £45.9m
Bernardo Silva (Monaco) - £45m
Ederson Moraes (Benfica) - £36m
Danilo (Real Madrid) - £27m
Douglas Luiz (Vasco de Gama) - £10.8m
'Gehraiyaan'
Director:Shakun Batra
Stars:Deepika Padukone, Siddhant Chaturvedi, Ananya Panday, Dhairya Karwa
Rating: 4/5
Teri%20Baaton%20Mein%20Aisa%20Uljha%20Jiya
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EDirectors%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Amit%20Joshi%20and%20Aradhana%20Sah%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ECast%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Shahid%20Kapoor%2C%20Kriti%20Sanon%2C%20Dharmendra%2C%20Dimple%20Kapadia%2C%20Rakesh%20Bedi%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ERating%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%204%2F5%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Squid Game season two
Director: Hwang Dong-hyuk
Stars: Lee Jung-jae, Wi Ha-joon and Lee Byung-hun
Rating: 4.5/5
Moon Music
Artist: Coldplay
Label: Parlophone/Atlantic
Number of tracks: 10
Rating: 3/5
More from Neighbourhood Watch:
The specs: 2018 BMW R nineT Scrambler
Price, base / as tested Dh57,000
Engine 1,170cc air/oil-cooled flat twin four-stroke engine
Transmission Six-speed gearbox
Power 110hp) @ 7,750rpm
Torque 116Nm @ 6,000rpm
Fuel economy, combined 5.3L / 100km
