What are the politics of rejoining UNESCO?

Kendall Grant Clark kendall at monkeyfist.com
Wed Sep 18 11:16:40 PDT 2002



>>>>> "peter" == Peter K <peterk at enteract.com> writes:

peter> These are fascinating issues and I'd be interested to learn more.

peter> The US paid its back dues immediately after 9-11, which was quite

peter> a turnabout.

One thing seems clear: the conventional view says the US left UNESCO because of corruption, mismanagement, and ideological bias; but the most recent reports I can find suggest that the corruption and mismanagement have not been adequately addressed, so it's not at all clear that Bush's recent suggestion that the US rejoin UNESCO, based on its reform, makes much sense. If US left because of mismanagement, which doesn't seem yet to have been fully cleaned up, the reforms which are the basis of the US rejoining are either reforms of another type or simply a pretext.

Kendall Clark

PS--Some of the stuff I turned up from a casual googling includes:

A fact sheet (http://www.betterworldfund.org/factsheets/o_24260.shtml) about the US returning to UNESCO from the "Better World Foundation" includes the following:

The United States was among the first 20 nations to ratify the UN

Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization's (UNESCO's)

constitution in 1946. In 1983, President Ronald Reagan stated that the

U.S. would withdraw from UNESCO unless management practices were

reformed and internal biases and corrupt practices ended. When

acceptable reforms were not made, the U.S. withdrew at the end of 1984.

The U.S. withdrawal, coupled with those of the United Kingdom and

Singapore during the same period, led to a 30 percent reduction in

contributions by UNESCO and an overall increase in the dues paid by the

remaining member countries. The UK rejoined in 1997. There have been 10

withdrawals and 8 reentries to date.

How can the U.S. rejoin UNESCO?

To rejoin UNESCO, the U.S. must authorize and pay approximately $60

million in assessed membership dues. In May 2001, the House

International Relations Committee adopted an amendment proposed by

Reps. Tom Lantos (D-CA) and Jim Leach (R-IA) to insert funding for

UNESCO into the 2002-2003 Foreign Relations Authorization Bill. An

amendment to remove this funding was debated on the House floor and was

defeated 225-193, and the final version of the Authorization bill

passed by a margin of 352-73 on May 16, 2001. The Senate must pass

similar legislation to ensure the U.S. is able to re-enter in 2003.

Why should the U.S. rejoin UNESCO?

* UNESCO has reformed. In the 18 years since the U.S. withdrew from

UNESCO, dramatic steps have been taken to reform the organization:

staff has been cut, management has been overhauled, and bias and

corruption have been replaced with an organization that fosters

public diplomacy. Former Secretary of State George Schultz, who in

1984 signed the U.S. resignation, today supports returning to

UNESCO because of the organization's successful efforts at reform.

* UNESCO promotes international security, stability and cooperation

essential to waging the "cultural offense" against

terrorism...

* Membership will give the U.S. a say on key issues of national

interest. For example, it will allow the U.S. to influence

upcoming discussions on international standards for bioethics.

* U.S. leadership will allow UNESCO to better carry out its

objectives. The current Director-General of UNESCO, Koichiro

Matsuura, welcomes the idea of U.S. membership...

(The Better World Campaign (BWC) is a project of the Better World Fund, which was created with initial support from businessman and philanthropist R.E. Turner as part of his historic $1 billion gift to support UN causes.)

UNESCO's Fat Gets a Trim: And Reform Is in the Air By Barbara Crossette New York Times March 5, 2000

United Nations -- In the family of United Nations agencies, UNESCO has

long been the spoiled child. The top jobs -- in Paris, no less -- were

invariably cushy and easy to get with a little political

pull. Reformers anxious to curb the selfish traits of this wayward

offspring came and went without a trace.

...

In 1984, the information proposal and mismanagement at the top of the

organization prompted the United States to withdraw from

Unesco. Britain and Singapore followed suit, but Britain went back in

1997 under Prime Minister Tony Blair. President Clinton told Unesco in

1995 that he was prepared to restore American membership, but

administration officials say there is no money to rejoin. Mr. Matsuura

hopes to tempt the United States back in with a reform plan he says he

will put in place this spring.

Nepotism and Excess Found Rampant at UNESCO By Steven Edwards Toronto National Post October 2, 2000 http://www.globalpolicy.org/finance/docs00/unesco.htm

Plan to Close Down the UNESCO Magazine Under Fire By Julio Godoy Inter Press Service June 7, 2001 http://www.globalpolicy.org/finance/unagencies/unesco/2001/0607unes.htm

Courier - the flagship publication of Unesco - is under fire: it does

not cover its costs by selling enough copies. Unesco's Director

General Koichiro Matsuura now wants to close it down, facing an

overwhelming opposition from member states and, of course, staff. The

underlying issue is whether a cultural publication with no advertising

can be expected to live up to market rules. A plan by the UN

Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) Director

General, Koichiro Matsuura, to close down the organisation's magazine,

Courier, has sparked a bitter opposition . In an official document

presented to the UNESCO Executive Committee, Matsuura argued that

Courier has been facing financial difficulties and declining

readership. According to official figures, the Courier faces a yearly

deficit of some 5.5 million dollars. "This deficit," Matsuura argued,

"can no longer be ignored."



More information about the lbo-talk mailing list