US to lose vote at UNESCO over three-year Palestine boycott

[unhappycamper]

http://america.aljazeera.com/articles/2013/11/7/us-to-lose-vote-atunescoincursdebts.html



Move has prompted new criticism of laws that force funding cutoff for any UN agency with Palestine as a member

US to lose vote at UNESCO over three-year Palestine boycott
November 7, 2013 6:15PM ET

American influence in culture, science and education around the world is facing a high-profile blow Friday, with the United States to be stripped of its voting rights at the United Nations' cultural agency, UNESCO. It would cost the U.S. hundreds of millions of dollars to win its vote back.

The United States hasn't paid its dues to the Paris-based U.N. Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization in three years in protest over the decision by world governments to make Palestine a UNESCO member in 2011. The Palestinian territories, which are not yet a sovereign state, were granted full membership in UNESCO two years ago.

Under UNESCO rules, the U.S. has until Friday morning to resume funding or it will automatically lose its vote.

The suspension of U.S. contributions, which account for $80 million a year — 22 percent of UNESCO's budget — brought the agency to the brink of a financial crisis and forced it to cut U.S.-led initiatives such as Holocaust education and tsunami research over the past two years.