IV 

118TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION H. RES. 581 

Condemning the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural 

Organization (UNESCO) and refraining the United States from rejoining. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

JULY 11, 2023 

Mr. STEUBE submitted the following resolution; which was referred to the 

Committee on Foreign Affairs 

RESOLUTION 

Condemning the United Nations Educational, Scientific and 

Cultural Organization (UNESCO) and refraining the 

United States from rejoining. 

Whereas, at the end of World War II in 1945, 37 countries 

founded the United Nations Educational, Scientific and 

Cultural Organization (UNESCO); 

Whereas UNESCO did not uphold the purpose of the organization, which is ‘‘to contribute to peace and security by 

promoting collaboration among nations through education, science and culture in order to further universal 

respect for justice, for the rule of law and for the human 

rights and fundamental freedoms which are affirmed for 

the peoples of the world, without distinction of race, sex, 

language or religion, by the Charter of the United Nations’’; 


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•HRES 581 IH 

Whereas UNESCO has a long history of corruption and mismanagement; 

Whereas audits show ‘‘about 40 percent of the organization’s 

appointments and promotions failed to meet UNESCO’s 

own criteria for fair competition’’, and ‘‘despite a twoyearly budget of $544 million, it cannot run its program 

effectively’’; 

Whereas UNESCO is highly politicized and has held an antiUnited States bias; 

Whereas citing hostility toward the basic institutions of a free 

society, especially a free market and a free press, President Ronald Reagan pulled the United States out of 

UNESCO in 1984, and his decision received bipartisan 

support, including nods from the New York Times, the 

Washington Post, and the Wall Street Journal; 

Whereas, in 2002, the United States rejoined UNESCO 

under President George W. Bush; 

Whereas, in 2011, the Obama administration cut funding to 

the organization after UNESCO admitted the Palestine 

Authority as a full member; 

Whereas UNESCO has long held an anti-Israel bias and 

passed 6 resolutions condemning Israel in 2013; 

Whereas, in 2016, the Palestine delegation sponsored a 

UNESCO resolution referring to the Temple Mount and 

Western Wall only by their Muslim names and negating 

Jerusalem’s undeniable historical connection with Christians and Jews; 

Whereas, in 2017, UNESCO designated the ancient city of 

Hebron, in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, a Palestinian 

World Heritage site, denying Judaism’s historical tie; 


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•HRES 581 IH 

Whereas UNESCO embraces human rights violators; 

Whereas, in 2013, UNESCO honored Che Guevara, the chief 

executioner of Cuban dictator Fidel Castro, both of whom 

committed crimes against humanity, by including ‘‘The 

Life and Works of Ernesto Che Guevara’’ to its ‘‘Memory 

of the World Register’’; 

Whereas UNESCO remained silent on honoring victims of 

Communism oppression; 

Whereas, in 2016, UNESCO did not include the image of the 

‘‘Tank Man’’ when several organizations nominated the 

image to be inscribed into UNESCO’s ‘‘Memory of the 

World Register’’; 

Whereas UNESCO has a close relationship with the Chinese 

Government and designated a high number of ‘‘world 

heritage sites’’ despite China’s poor human rights and 

cultural preservation records; 

Whereas, in 2017, the Trump administration filed a notice to 

withdraw the United States from UNESCO; 

Whereas Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu praised 

the United States decision and instructed his foreign 

ministry for Israel’s withdrawal as well; 

Whereas officials estimate that the United States, which accounted for around 22 percent of the total budget, has 

accrued $600,000,000 in unpaid dues; and 

Whereas the Biden administration plans to rejoin UNESCO 

and pay back dues: Now, therefore, be it 

1 Resolved, That the House of Representatives— 

2 (1) condemns the United Nations Educational, 

3 Scientific and Cultural Organization’s (UNESCO) 


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•HRES 581 IH 

1 long history of corruption, mismanagement, anti2 United States bias, anti-Israel bias, and honoring 

3 human rights violators; and 

4 (2) recognizes that the United States was right 

5 to withdraw from UNESCO, and the organization 

6 should not receive funding from the United States 

7 taxpayers. 

Æ 


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