United States and Israel Quit UNESCO

• 02 Jan 2019

The United States and Israel have officially quit the UN’s educational, scientific and cultural agency, UNESCO.

• The US filed its notice to withdraw in October 2017 which was followed by Israel.
• The two countries have blamed UNESCO for having an anti-Israel bias like criticizing Israel’s occupation of East Jerusalem, naming ancient Jewish sites as Palestinian heritage sites and granting full membership to Palestine in 2011.
• The United States had pulled out of UNESCO in 1984 as well because it viewed the agency as mismanaged, corrupt and used to advance Soviet interests. The US rejoined in 2003.

UNESCO

• The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), formed in 1945, is a specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) based in Paris.
• Its declared purpose is to contribute to peace and security by promoting international collaboration through educational, scientific, and cultural reforms in order to increase universal respect for justice, the rule of law, and human rights along with fundamental freedom proclaimed in the United Nations Charter.
• UNESCO has 195 Members (including US and Israel).