The United States said that it was re-joining the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).
What is UNESCO?
UNESCO is the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization.
It contributes to peace and security by promoting international cooperation in education, sciences, culture, communication and information.
UNESCO promotes knowledge sharing and the free flow of ideas to accelerate mutual understanding and a more perfect knowledge of each other's lives.
UNESCO's programmes contribute to the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals defined in the 2030 Agenda, adopted by the UN General Assembly in 2015.
Why did the US leave the UNESCO?
Palestine - UNESCO, which designates world heritage spots, accorded recognition in 2011 to Palestine as its 195th member.
UNESCO is the first U.N. agency to do so.
This triggered controversies over the historical status of the region’s religious symbols.
And this is also a continuing issue of contention between the already divided Palestinian Authority and Israel.
The 2012 elevation to a non-member observer status at the UN came as a boost for Palestinians demanding separate statehood.
US - The US had long had stronger ties with Israel and supported its settlements in Palestine.
Also, U.S. laws bar funding to any UN agency that recognises the Palestinian state.
Accordingly, the US had stopped funding the UNESCO since its 2011 decision, but the partnership with UNESCO continued.
It also opposed to the admission of Palestine to world bodies until the question of its UN membership was resolved.
Holy sites - Meanwhile, Arab nations at the UNESCO have sought to fast-track the designation of holy sites as endangered heritage sites.
They alleged Israel of making attacks on religious sites, affecting their authenticity and integrity.
Hebron - Notably, UNESCO declared a contested shrine in Hebron city as an endangered Palestinian heritage site.
While most of Hebron is under Palestine administration, the core of the shrine is surrounded by Israeli military guards.
Also, a resolution last year condemned Israel for hampering access for the Palestinians to Jerusalem’s holy places.
Did the US leave other forums too?
WHO – During the pandemic, in 2020, President Trump announced the U.S.’s withdrawal from funding the World Health Organization and the Paris Agreement.
This followed from the Trumpist world view that the U.S. was being short-changed by major polluters such as China and India.
In the case of WHO, the case was over its inadequate response time to the gravity of the pandemic originating in China.
Following political change, President Joseph Biden has now brought the U.S. back into the fold of funding WHO as well as re-joining the climate treaty.
Why did the US return to the UNESCO?
China factor – The reason for the U.S’.s return is ostensibly China.
The U.S.’s absence had helped China gain more influence in setting the rules around artificial intelligence and the ensuing technological shifts.
This is the first time that China has been proffered as a reason for the U.S.’s re-entry into, rather than its exit of, a multi-lateral treaty.
Israel – Unlike the America First policies that propelled the Trump administration’s exits, the U.S.’s UNESCO re-entry has little to do with why it exited it in the first place.
It is not unreasonable to infer that the re-entry is a sign of America’s growing paranoia about China.
It is also appropriate to recall that the Reagan administration withdrew from UNESCO in 1984 for, among other things, advancing Soviet interests.
What is the role of AI in the U.S.’s move?
Artificial Intelligence (AI) – Developments in AI are slightly different from historical technological developments.
Here, product patents and their enforcement have helped countries such as the U.S. maintain their edge.
However, with AI, China, along with a rising repertoire of patents and research publications, has the advantages of a much larger population and a more powerful surveillance state.
This feeds into a cycle of generating greater troves of data that in turn feed and improve machine learning systems that make its AI far more formidable.
Unlike other technologies, no country can have a sustained, natural edge in AI indefinitely.
What is the way forward?
America might bring in at least $600 million in outstanding dues to the UNESCO.
However, it is high time and countries such as India would do well to point this out.
Organisations should get stricter on countries exiting and entering on frivolous grounds, alongside framing policies and research that accommodate the tussles of a hyper-connected world.
