UNESCO gathered its 193 members Friday to approve the United States returning as a full-fledged member to the UN committee.
"With this return, UNESCO will be in an even stronger position to carry out its mandate," UNESCO Director-General Audrey Azoulay said in a statement."UNESCO's mandate — education, science, culture, freedom of information — is absolutely central to meeting the challenges of the 21st century.
Additionally, the country will pay roughly $100 million annually, 22% of the committee's budget, to remain a voting member. Then-President Donald Trump withdrew from the organization in 2017 because of its"anti-Israel bias." However, the U.S. was looking to join again in December when Congress passed a bill that allotted over $540 million toward the debt it owed to UNESCO since payment on dues stopped in 2011. The State Department is permitted to use the money until fall 2025, when it will expire as Azoulay's term ends. In that same bill, $3.3 billion in military aid was provided to Israel.
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