Comment by Permanent Delegate of Russia to UNESCO Rinat Alyautdinov on the USA's possible withdrawal from the Organization

The Permanent Delegate of Russia to UNESCO: Trump's decree calls into question the repayment of the US debt to UNESCO. Mr. Rinat Alyautdinov reminded that Washington's debt to the Organization is more than $600 million, which is more than its annual budget.

PARIS, 7 February. /Corr. TASS Dmitry Orlov/. US President Donald Trump's decision to conduct a review of the US membership in UNESCO in the near future calls into question the possibility of paying off the huge US debt to the Organization, which exceeds its annual budget. Russia's Permanent Delegate to UNESCO, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary Rinat Alyautdinov said in response to a question from the TASS correspondent.

‘Trump's decree does not say about withdrawal from the Organization. However given the issues of Washington’s concern listed in it, the probability of such a development cannot be ruled out,’ he said. The Permanent Delegate noted that the U.S., expressing claims to UNESCO, remains the largest debtor of the Organization. The amount of debt is more than $600 million, which, as Mr. Alyautdinov noted, is more than the annual budget of UNESCO. At the same time, before returning to the Organization in 2023, the administration of the former US President Joe Biden promised to solve this issue.

‘Unfortunately, despite our calls based on the UNESCO's Constitution and the Rules of procedure, this promise has not been legally formalized, as it should be. The majority of Member States then took the Americans at their word. Now there are great doubts that the US administration, which intends to “review” its membership, will be engaged in the repayment of its debt,’ the diplomat said.

The Permanent Delegate believes that in this case the developing countries, especially African countries, which were counting on Washington's fulfilment of its financial obligations, may be affected most. He stressed that the main lesson that all UNESCO Member States should learn from this situation is the need to clearly observe the Constitution and Rules of procedure of the Organization. ‘The same should be sought from the UNESCO Secretariat, which is very amenable to Western influence. It is the basis on which the cooperation in the key international humanitarian Organization should be developed, which is what we have always advocated and stand for,’ he concluded.

On 4 February, Trump signed an executive order withdrawing the US from the UN Human Rights Council and the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestinian Refugees in the Near East. The US leader criticized the UN's activities, saying that the Organization ‘has great potential’ but has not realized it for a long time. Also in his decree, Trump requested a 90-day review of the US membership in UNESCO, to evaluate how the Organization ‘supports the US interests’, in the context that the Organization, as noted in the decree, ‘has demonstrated failure to reform itself, has consistently demonstrated anti-Israeli sentiments over the past decade’.

Original article: https://tass.ru/politika/23077033