The decision of US President Donald Trump to reassess its relations with UNESCO in the near future calls into question the possibility of repaying the huge US debt to the organization, which exceeds its annual budget.
This was noted by the Permanent Representative of Russia to UNESCO, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary Rinat Alyautdinov.
“Trump's order does not mention withdrawal from the organization. However, given the listed problems that concern Washington, the possibility of such a development cannot be ruled out“, he said. The Permanent Representative noted that the US, although it expresses claims to UNESCO, remains the organization's largest debtor.
The amount of debt is over $600 million, which, as Alyautdinov noted, is more than UNESCO's annual budget. At the same time, before returning to the organization in 2023, the administration of former US President Joe Biden promised to resolve this problem.
„Unfortunately, this promise, despite our demands based on the statute and procedural rules of UNESCO, was not fulfilled. Most of the member states then took the Americans at their word. Now there are serious doubts that the US administration, which intends to conduct an „audit“ of its membership, will commit to paying off its debt“, the diplomat said.
The Russian permanent representative believes that in this case, developing countries, especially African ones, which were counting on Washington to fulfill their financial obligations, may turn out to be the big losers. He stressed that the main lesson that all UNESCO member states should learn from this situation is the need to strictly adhere to the organization's statutes and rules of procedure.
“The same must be achieved by the UNESCO secretariat, which is very susceptible to Western influence. It is on this basis that cooperation in the key international humanitarian organization, which we have always advocated and continue to advocate, should be developed,“, he concluded.
On February 4, Trump signed an executive order to withdraw the United States from the UN Human Rights Council and the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East. The American leader criticized the activities of the UN, saying that this organization “has enormous potential”, but has not realized it for a long time. Trump also demanded in his order that cooperation with UNESCO be reviewed within 90 days to check how the organization “supports US interests“. As noted in the order, the organization has shown an inability to reform and has consistently demonstrated anti-Israel sentiment over the past decade.“