by Mathieu van Berchem in Paris, swissinfo.ch
The United Nations culture agency is dealing with the financial consequences of a political decision taken in October – a funding shortfall of 22 per cent.
On October 31 the United States suspended its financial contribution to Unesco after Palestine was admitted as a full member.
“The situation is difficult, no one can deny it,” Eric Falt vice-director general for external relations and public information at Unesco told swissinfo.ch.
The impact is brutal and immediate: the agency is $35 million (SFr32.2 million) short between now and the end of the year and in 2012 faces a hole of $60 million – the regular US contribution to its annual budget.
This is not the first time the US and Unesco have fallen out. In 1984 under Ronald Reagan’s presidency, the US withdrew from the Paris-based organisation because of its “anti-American” stance and “extremely bad management”. The US only rejoined again in 2003.
Note by the editor: It would have been nice if the oil-Arab nations would have made up the shortfall …