Yet Another Reason Not to Fund UNESCO: Syria Elected Unanimously to UNESCO Human Rights Committees

Last week, international media reported that Syria–in the midst of bloody repression and conflict–had been elected to two human rights committees of UNESCO (United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization).

UNESCO is the agency that recognized Palestinian statehood last month by allowing the Palestinian delegation to assume full membership–triggering an immediate withdrawal of UNESCO funding from the U.S. Congress.

UN Watch now reports that Syria’s election, following nomination by the Arab group of nations, was by unanimous consensus. That means that “the US, France, the UK and other Western democracies” on UNESCO’s executive committee are implicated in Syria’s election. The Canadian government, which is not on the UNESCO executive committee, and Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (R-FL), chair of the U.S. House Foreign Affairs Committee, both spoke out against the decision.

From the UN Watch press release:

“The Arab League’s suspension of Syria is stripped of any meaning when its member states elevate Syria to UN human rights committes,” says Hillel Neuer, executive director of the Geneva-based monitoring group UN Watch….

“By rewarding the murderous Syrian regime with badges of international legitimacy, UNESCO has endangered core interests of the U.S. and its allies, undermining national security, regional stability and democratic values.”

Fox News has more on the story.