U.S. Loses Voting Rights at Unesco
By ALISSA J. RUBIN

PARIS — The United States lost its vote at Unesco on Friday, two years after cutting off its financial contribution to the organization over the admission of Palestinians as full members. The move undermined America’s ability to exercise its influence in countries around the globe through the United Nations agency’s educational and aid programs, according to Western diplomats and international relations experts.

Under Unesco’s constitution, any country that fails to pay dues for two years loses its vote in the Unesco general assembly. The United States ceased all support for the agency in 2011, in response to a vote at Unesco giving Palestinians full membership. Congress enacted laws in the 1990s decreeing that the United States stop providing money to any United Nations agency that accepts Palestinians as full members.

It was the first time that the United States had voluntarily given up its vote in an organization it belongs to, diplomats here said.

“I deeply regret this,” Irina Bokova, Unesco’s director general, said in an interview Friday at the agency’s headquarters here. “This is not some kind of punishment on behalf of Unesco for nonpayment. It’s just our rules.

“We’ve lost our biggest contributor; this has a bearing on all our programs,” she said, adding that it was not just a matter of financing. She said the agency would miss the voice of the United States on issues like freedom of expression and girls’ education.

Ms. Bokova, who has led the organization since 2009, traveled to Washington in 2011 to try to persuade American lawmakers to change the legislative language after the initial funding cutoff. The Obama administration tried to push through such a change last year, but failed.

The American ambassador to Unesco, David T. Killion, speaking at the Unesco general conference, now underway in Paris, noted that the United States had been involved in the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization since its beginnings in 1945 and promised that it would remain involved.

He praised Unesco for its role in consensus and peace building, saying the agency was important for American work abroad.

“Unesco is a critical partner in creating a better future,” said Mr. Killion, adding that the Obama administration was committed to getting funding restored so that the United States could pay its dues and regain its position as a voting member.

Before withdrawing its financial support, the United States provided about $70 million, or 22 percent, of the agency’s annual budget, and the suspension was felt almost immediately. Some Unesco staff members were laid off and programs and projects delayed, including some that potentially could have benefited the United States.

To make up the shortfall, Ms. Bokova created an emergency fund and got contributions from Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Norway and other countries. But she said she did not think that it would be possible to raise that money again this year.

Diplomats predicted subtle effects of the loss of America’s vote, as well as some obvious ones.

For instance, it is less likely that two American sites on the list to become World Heritage sites certified by Unesco will win approval. One is an ancient civilization site known as Poverty Point, in northeastern Louisian a, and the other is a group of Spanish missions dating from the 18th century in San Antonio. The Texas project was expected to create at least a thousand jobs, and both sites were expected to benefit from increased tourism.

More far-reaching is the loss in the United States’ ability to exercise soft-power influence throughout the world, said Esther Brimmer, a former assistant secretary of state for international organization affairs, who now teaches at George Washington University.

“Twenty years ago the U.S. was the only one; now there are other countries playing the soft-power game,” said Ms. Brimmer, noting that the Chinese deputy education minister had been elected head of Unesco’s general conference.

Ms. Bokova emphasized that the agency has given the United States a platform to promote democracy, education and human rights in places that are often hostile to or suspicious of direct American involvement. With the United States in a weakened position and Unesco with less money, she said, some of that influence will diminish.

美欠UN教科文組織會費 痛失投票權

美國八日拖欠聯合國教育科學文化組織（UNESCO）會費滿兩年，失去在該組織的投票權。此事折損美國透過教科文組織在全球發揮影響的能力，同時也使該組織失去最大筆經費來源。

根據教科文組織憲章，兩年未繳會費的國家就失去在該組織大會中投票的權利。

美國在2011年停止贊助該組織，因為教科文組織投票決定給予巴勒斯坦會員國資格，而美國法律規定，聯合國組織若接納巴勒斯坦為會員，美國即自動停繳該組織會費。

美國總統歐巴馬有意修法，但國會至今尚未審議。美國國內許多人士表示，美國應保住教科文組織的投票權，而且要盡快，因為拖愈久，必須補繳的金額就愈高。

教科文組織總幹事伊琳納．博科娃說：「我深表遺憾。這不是本組織對未繳會費者的懲罰，這只是我們的規定。」她還說：「我們失去了最大捐款國，這關係到我們所有的計畫。」

博科娃強調，這不只是錢的問題。美國失去投票權，將無法在言論自由及女孩教育等議題上發聲。

教科文組織目前最為人所知的工作，當推「世界遺產」方案，但美國在1946年為這個組織催生時，主要構想是反極端主義。目前教科文組織處理的問題十分廣泛，包括協助開發中國家居民有乾淨的飲水、促進女童閱讀能力、打擊貧窮、提倡言論自由等。

美國每年繳費七千萬到八千萬美元，占教科文組織每年預算的百分之廿二，少了美國的會費，該組織將手頭拮据，許多計畫可能停擺或縮編，包括海嘯研究、以教育打擊極端主義、性別平等與新聞自由等的推廣。

原文參照：
http://www.nytimes.com/2013/11/09/us/politics/us-loses-voting-rights-at-unesco.html

2013-11-09．聯合報．A22．國際．編譯馮克芸、彭淮棟