Beijing reaffirms UNESCO support

Israel follows

After the US notified the UN organization about its move, Israel welcomed it.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had instructed the Foreign Ministry to prepare his country's withdrawal from UNESCO on the same date as the US, according to a statement.

The United States has pulled out of UNESCO before, in 1984 when the Reagan administration left because it viewed the agency as mismanaged, corrupt and used to advance Soviet interests. The US rejoined in 2003.

Li Haidong, a professor of US studies at China Foreign Affairs University, said Washington's withdrawal will have an impact on specific projects in the short term, but UNESCO's operation will return to normal as other members will shoulder greater responsibility.

"All countries should undertake global affairs in a concerted way, but the US decision is irresponsible and opportunistic," he said.

Xinhua, Reuters and AP contributed to this story.

The UN's educational, scientific and cultural agency

Naming World Heritage sites－places like the Egyptian pyramids or the Statue of Liberty that are given a special UN status and protection－is one of the many programs run by UNESCO.

The United States and Israel said on Thursday they would leave the agency because of what they said was a longstanding anti-Israel bias and the need for reform.

Beyond the diplomatic disputes, here's a look at some of the tasks and aims of UNESCO:

Heritage sites

Its World Heritage Committee each year designates sites considered "outstanding value to humanity" and intervenes when sites are in danger of destruction or damage. The program provides countries with technical assistance and professional training to preserve the sites, and now includes "intangible" heritage such as folk songs or traditional dances among its remit. A World Heritage site designation is coveted and seen as a boost to tourism.

Empowering girls

UNESCO works to improve literacy, with a special focus on girls in poor countries who get little or no schooling. The agency provides teacher training and materials and encourages programs for girls to pursue careers in science.

Holocaust education

Like the rest of the UN, UNESCO was created in response to the horrors of World War II, and particularly Nazi crimes. Amid accusations that the agency's Arab members have used UNESCO to pass anti-Israel resolutions, UNESCO has worked in recent years on Holocaust awareness projects. That includes educational materials in multiple languages and organizing visits to former Nazi concentration camps.

Climate change

The agency seeks to coordinate climate knowledge, including studies of impacts on UNESCO's network of biosphere reserves, and to improve international education about how global warming occurs and affects people around the world.

AP