US withdraws Unesco funding after it accepts Palestinian membership

[King_David]

The United States severed funding to Unesco, the UN's cultural arm, after it defied the White House by voting overwhelmingly to accept the Palestinian Authority as a full member.


Throwing the future of the body into doubt, the US State Department announced a halt to funding of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation just hours after it became the first UN body effectively to grant the right of statehood to the Palestinian people.


Despite the US threat of a financial boycott, just 14 states voted against Palestinian membership, with 107 backing the bid, easily clearing the two-thirds majority needed for the Palestinian Authority to become a member of any UN body for the first time.


For Mahmoud Abbas, the president of the Palestinian Authority, the result represented a significant symbolic victory in the controversial quest for statehood.


But in accepting his application during an emotional vote at its headquarters in Paris, UNESCO will pay a heavy price. Washington provides the body with nearly £50 million in annual funding, nearly 22 per cent of its budget.


The State Department said that a £43 million payment due to be made this month will now be withheld.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/middleeast/palestinianauthority/8860951/US-withdraws-Unesco-funding-after-it-accepts-Palestinian-membership.html

[shaayecanaan]

1. The problem for the US is that the Palestinians will apply for membership

in the UN agencies that the US actually likes, such as the International Atomic Energy Agency, WIPO, the World Trade Organisation, etc:-

It is not clear how U.S. membership would work in the interim, especially since UNESCO depends heavily on U.S. funding. The U.S. provides 22 percent of its budget — roughly $80 million a year — but has survived without it in the past: The United States pulled out of UNESCO under President Ronald Reagan and rejoined two decades later under President George W. Bush.

Of potential greater concern to the administration is the possibility that the Palestinians, buoyed by the 107-14 vote in their favor at UNESCO, will apply for membership in other U.N. organizations that the United States values, like the World Intellectual Property Organization, the World Health Organization, the International Civil Aviation Organization, or the International Atomic Energy Agency.

http://www.salon.com/2011/10/31/us_cuts_unesco_funding_over_palestinian_vote/

[ProgressiveProfessor]

2. Black letter US law and everyone knew it

UNESCO will now be dropped from any future appropriations bill and the administration can do nothing about it.

[shaayecanaan]

3. Then they'll have to drop funding to WIPO if Palestine applies there...

Maybe they will drop funding to the IAEA as well, Iran would be quite happy with that.

[ProgressiveProfessor]

4. Pretty much

[shaayecanaan]

5. I dare say the next stop for the Palestinians will be the IAEA, then... (nt)

[ProgressiveProfessor]

6. I am think that the other agencies need US support and if we could cut off UNESCO

we will cut off any of them.

[shaayecanaan]

11. UNESCO survived an American boycott for twenty years...

until George W decided to patch things up. I don't imagine they'll have trouble surviving another twenty more.

The IAEA has a budget of about $450 million a year. The US contributes roughly half of that. The biggest part of their budget is "nuclear verification and safeguards" which eats up $123 million a year - basically, this is the money that is spent monitoring the Iranians and others. If they have to cut, they'll cut there.

[vminfla]

9. What a horrible thought

Hamas with nukes. Just chilling.

[shaayecanaan]

12. Sometimes I despair at the comprehension skills

(or lack thereof) exhibited on this board.

[vminfla]

14. I agree, Some people still think that the UN is still relevant

I do not understand the distress about defunding UNESCO. I call that progress.

[vminfla]

7. American taxpayers rejoice

I guess there was one positive benefit to the PA's push after all.

[azurnoir]

8. yes and it looks like much much more to come

as the PA is going for full membership in 16 other UN agencies the US will just have to with hold all of that money wonder if it will total out to equal the billion+ we give Israel every year and I have been told is not enough to help Americans if it were to be with held

but still and none the less the US will have to by its own law deal it self out of any agency that allows Palestinians membership

[ProgressiveProfessor]

10. Not clear the other agencies can deal with the haircut

UNESCO will have a hard time, and it is one of the more popular and defensible agencies. Others could really end up hurting.

Instead I see this as the test case to determine if the administration would follow the law. Somewhat surprisingly it did. Be interesting to see what other agencies will accept that kind of haircut.

[vminfla]

13. Cause and Effect: As more agencies are defunded, the next vote gets harder

14 nations voted no, 52 abstained after only UNESCO. It is quite clear to see that the PA does not have the complete plurality it needs for agency votes. Each agencies own self-interest will determine how they vote. By the second or third defunded agencies, we should see a continuous stream of no votes.

[azurnoir]

15. that is if these agencies will bow down to US domination by the failing dollar for how much longer?

I think the UNESCO vote may be a clear message

[ProgressiveProfessor]

16. It is in many ways

- US will not support agencies admitting the Palestinians as full members. Agencies need to be ready for the loss of US funding.
- Nations that vote for it need to step up and cover the losses.

If they do, that is fine. If they don't they should not whine.

[vminfla]

17. The US disproportionately funds the UN anyway

By curtailing their contributions, their portions of funding becomes more in line with other countries.