November 4, 2011

The U.N. Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) voted on Monday to include Palestine as its newest member, thereby formally recognizing the state. After spending months exerting pressure on other member states to vote against the bid to formally grant Palestine statehood in any U.N. body, U.S. officials announced they will cut off funding for UNESCO.
 
UNESCO is an agency of the UN, whose purpose is to contribute to peace and security by promoting international collaboration through education, science and culture in order to further universal respect for justice, the rule of law and human rights along with fundamental freedoms proclaimed in the UN Charter.

The U.S.' extreme and sudden move is the result of legislation passed in 1990 and 1994, which prohibits funds “for the United Nations or any specialized agency thereof which accords the Palestine Liberation Organization the same standing as a member state,” and blocks funding for “any affiliated organization of the United Nations which grants full membership as a state to any organization or group that does not have the internationally recognized attributes of statehood.”
 
Falling back on such outdated legislation is harmful to America’s global image. U.N. member states that voted in favor of admitting Palestine, such as France, Spain and Greece, are resisting America’s attempts to pressure them into voting against Palestine.
 
The U.S. funds about 20 percent of UNESCO’s budget, which amounts to about $80 million per year. Cutting off funds is an extreme hit to the positive programs UNESCO initiates around the world, which ironically, also serve U.S. interests abroad.
 
This politically motivated act by the U.S. is not the only retaliatory consequence of UNESCO admitting Palestine. The Israeli Foreign Ministry released a statement saying the admission was a “unilateral Palestinian move, which will not bring change on the ground but further removes the possibility for a peace agreement.” Since the UNESCO vote, Israel has also ramped up building 2,000 more dwellings in and around East Jerusalem in an effort to “punish” Palestine for joining the body, according to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
 
In a year when people around the world are calling for their rights to democracy, justice and most importantly, self-determination, defunding UNESCO because it is willing to facilitate the road to self-determination shows that our lawmakers are out of step with the changing world that we are faced with. This topic is precisely what we will be looking at during MPAC’s annual convention.
 
To be an active participant in the dialogue on change, attend MPAC’s 11^th Annual Convention on December 17 on the theme of “Spring Forward: America’s Role in a Changing World.” Visit www.mpac.org/convention for more details.