Jun 12 U.S. plans to rejoin UNESCO and pay $600 million in back dues By Angela Charlton, Matthew Lee, Associated Press U.S. officials say the decision was motivated by concern that China is filling the gap in UNESCO policymaking. Continue reading
Nov 30 French baguette added to U.N. ‘intangible cultural heritage’ list By Thomas Adamson, Associated Press UNESCO experts gathering in Morocco this week decided that the staple bread flute deserved U.N. recognition after France’s culture ministry warned of a “continuous decline” in the number of traditional bakeries, and the closures of 400 bakeries a year over… Continue reading
Mar 03 UNESCO fears harm to Ukraine’s heritage sites, Russian culture backlash grows By Nicole Winfield, Mike Corder, Associated Press An Amsterdam museum has cut its close links to the Hermitage Museum in St. Petersburg to protest the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Continue reading
Dec 08 Looted Gilgamesh tablet, one of world’s oldest surviving works of literature, returns to Iraq By Associated Press The Gilgamesh tablet is part of a section of a Sumerian poem from the Epic of Gilgamesh. It is one of the world’s oldest works of literature, and one of the oldest religious texts. Continue reading
Oct 28 Watch 5:30 News Wrap: Protesters demand climate action in Glasgow ahead of COP26 In our news wrap Thursday, protests broke out in Glasgow, Scotland, ahead of the United Nations' climate change summit that begins this weekend. A U.N. backed report said 10 of the world's great forests, including Yosemite National Park, are emitting… Continue watching
Jan 07 Trump retreats from threat to attack Iranian cultural sites By Darlene Superville, Associated Press President Donald Trump on Tuesday backed away from his threats to target Iranian cultural sites if Iran retaliates against the U.S. for killing one of its top generals. Continue reading
Jan 01 U.S. and Israel officially withdraw from UNESCO By Thomas Adamson, Associated Press The withdrawals will not greatly impact UNESCO financially, since it has been dealing with a funding slash ever since 2011 when both Israel and the U.S. stopped paying dues after Palestine was voted in as a member state. Continue reading
Jun 23 After volcano eruption, Guatemalans lead their own disaster recovery By Walter E. Little, The Conversation Officially, 110 people died and 197 are missing. But an anthropologist-photojournalist team who lives in the area believe that those numbers are grossly underestimated. Continue reading
Nov 10 UNESCO chief says U.S. ’empty chair’ can’t last By Thomas Adamson, Associated Press New UNESCO chief Audrey Azoulay has rebuked the U.S. for its decision to withdraw from the U.N. cultural body for alleged anti-Israel bias and says America is "affected by everything" the agency does. Continue reading
Oct 18 U.S., Israel to exit UN agency over alleged anti-Israel bias By Matthew Lee, Thomas Adamson, Associated Press The United States said Thursday it is pulling out of the U.N.'s educational, scientific and cultural agency because of what Washington sees as its anti-Israel bias and need for "fundamental reform." Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Israel plans to… Continue reading