First lady Dr. Jill Biden will travel to Paris next week to celebrate the US rejoining UNESCO according to senior administration officials. The US withdrew from UNESCO the United Nations Educational Scientific and Cultural Organization during the Trump administration with the State Department at the time citing antiIsrael bias and mounting membership dues owed to the international body. The first lady is set to depart Washington for Paris on Sunday evening arriving Monday morning. She will meet with Mrs. Brigitte Macron spouse of French President Emmanuel Macron on Monday. Dr. Biden will also visit Mont Saint Michel a UNESCO World Heritage site and pay her respects to fallen World War II US service members at the Brittany American Cemetery in Normandy during her trip abroad. The Biden administration is committed to playing a leadership role in multilateral venues where our interests our security and prosperity can be protected and promoted, a senior administration official said. A second senior Biden administration official heralded the decision to rejoin the organization as a milestone that really signifies the return of our leadership in a vital international space. A third senior official noted that having the US at the UNESCO table will give the administration influence on international standards and shared global understanding on issues like protection of World Heritage the ethics of emerging technology press freedom and education. New top US priorities for the group that official said include investments on Holocaust education the preservation of cultural heritage in Ukraine journalist safety and STEM education focused in Africa for women and girls and artificial intelligence. The trip comes as former President Donald Trump is currently leading in GOP primary polling with posing serious questions ahead for the future of critical US alliances following the presidential election. The visit comes as he seeks to reassure allies that the US will reassert a leading role in what he casts as the battle between democracy and autocracy. In an era of increasing geopolitical competition competitors are working hard at the UN to shape the global agenda the second senior official said adding If we arent in the room we cant push back. If we dont show up in these organizations other countries will fill the void. The official said the US absence from UNESCO was harming our interests since the Decision to withdraw in noting that the organization has also made muchneeded reforms. The U.S. withdrawal from the organization was made during the Trumpera administration. ThenUS Ambassador to the UN Nikki Haley now a GOP presidential candidate said at the times the organizations extreme politicization had become a chronic embarrassment. The organization promotes cooperation in education science culture and communication and also designates world heritage sites. The decision to withdraw from the UN was made by the State Dept. and the Department of State citing anti-Israel bias. The State Department and the Dept. of Education cited the anti-Semitism of the UN as one of the reasons for the US decision to pull out of the organization. The move was reversed by the Obama administration and now the US is at the forefront of efforts to reinvigorate the UN’s role in the fight against climate change. The White House has said it will continue to work with the UN on issues such as climate change, the environment and the environment.
Jill Biden to travel to Paris to commemorate US rejoining UNESCO after Trump exit. Jill Biden will be accompanied by US Ambassador to the United Nations Jill Biden.
