U.S. Will Withdraw From Unesco, Citing Its ‘Anti-Israel Bias’
WASHINGTON — The Trump administration announced on Thursday that it would withdraw from Unesco, the United Nations cultural organization, after years of America distancing itself because of what it called the group’s “anti-Israel bias.”
华盛顿。特朗普政府周四宣布将退出联合国教科文组织，多年来美国称这一联合国文化组织抱有“反以色列偏见”并与之疏远。
“This decision was not taken lightly,” according to a State Department statement on Thursday. In addition to anti-Israel bias, the department cited “the need for fundamental reform” and “mounting arrears” at the organization.
“这一决定并非率性而为，”美国国务院周四发表声明称。除了对以色列的偏见，国务院认为机构“需要根本改革”且美国“拖欠了太多会费”。
While the United States withdrew from the group, the Trump administration said it wanted to continue providing American perspective and expertise to Unesco, but as a nonmember observer. The withdrawal goes into effect at the end of 2018. Unesco, the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization popularly known for its designation of world heritage sites, is a global development agency with missions that include promoting sex education, literacy, clean water and equality for women.
美国退出的同时，特朗普政府却表示想继续作为非成员观察国为教科文组织提供美国意见和专家。退出自2018年底生效。联合国教科文组织以制定世界遗产著称，是以促进女性教育、提高识字率、提供洁净水及促进妇女平等为己任的全球发展机构。
In a lengthy written statement, Irina Bokova, Unesco’s director-general, expressed regret at the American withdrawal and said that the American people shared the organization’s goals. “Universality is critical to Unesco’s mission to strengthen international peace and security in the face of hatred and violence, to defend human rights and dignity,” she wrote.
教科文组织总干事伊琳娜·博科娃在长篇书面声明中对美国退出表达遗憾，表示美国人民和该机构目标一致。“如今仇恨酝酿和暴力频发，广泛的代表性对教科文组织促进国际和平和安全、维护人权和尊严尤其关键，”她写道。
In 2011, theUnited States stopped funding Unescodue to what was then a forgotten, 15-year-old amendment mandating a complete cutoff of American financing to any United Nations agency that accepts Palestine as a full member.
2011年，美国不再向教科文组织缴纳会费，原因是当时一个被人忘却了15年之久的修正案要求美国完全断绝资助承认巴勒斯坦为正式成员的联合国机构。
Various efforts by President Barack Obama to overturn the legal restriction narrowly failed in Congress, and the United States lost its vote at the organization after two years of nonpayment, in 2013. Unesco was dependent on the United States for 22 percent of its budget, then about $70 million a year.
贝拉克·奥巴马总统推翻该法律限制的种种努力在国会惜败，2013年，两年未缴纳会费后，美国失去在该组织的投票权。教科文组织过去依靠美国支付22%的预算，当时约每年7000万美元。
Since 2011, United States arrears to the organization have reached about $600 million, Ms. Bokova said, but she had told members of Congress repeatedly that immediate payment was not an issue, only American political re-engagement in the organization, which she believes serves many American interests abroad.
博科娃女士称，2011年以来，美国拖欠费用约6亿美元，但她反复向国会议员表示，不用马上付钱，只要美国能在政治上再度参与，她认为这符合美国的众多海外利益。
Ms. Bokova, in a telephone interview, said she “thought the decision was coming but why now, I don’t know, in the midst of elections” for a new director to replace her. “It’s very weird that it’s today,” she said. “It’s very, very regrettable.”
博科娃女士接受电话采访时说，她“认为这一决定是迟早的事，但不明白为什么发生在选举期间”，因为一个新的干事正准备取代她。“今天宣布此事很怪异，”她说。“非常非常遗憾。”
France and Qatar were running neck-and-neck in the race to lead the cultural body after a third round of voting Wednesday whittled the field down to five. Hamad bin Abdulaziz al-Kawari of Qatar and Audrey Azoulay of France — both former culture ministers — had 18 votes apiece in the battle to replace Ms. Bokova.
周三，第三轮投票将竞争对手缩减到五个，法国和卡塔尔并驾齐驱，争夺该文化机构领导权。卡塔尔的哈马德·本·阿卜杜拉齐兹·阿尔-卡瓦里和法国的奥德雷·阿祖莱都曾是文化部长，每人获得18票，其中一人可能取代博科娃女士。
Behind them in the secret ballot was an Egyptian career diplomat, Moushira Khattab, with 13 votes, and Tang Qian of China with five, according to results posted on Unesco’s website.
投票是秘密进行的，教科文网站的投票结果显示，紧随其后的是埃及职业外交官穆什拉·卡塔布，获得13票，中国的唐虔获得5票。
She argued that Unesco is “so relevant to the political agenda of the American government it’s incredible,” citing its work on trying to prevent violent extremism through educational and cultural programs in the developing world.
她认为，教科文组织“同美国政府的政治议程关系非常紧密”，机构通过在发展中国家的教育和文化项目避免暴力极端主义蔓延。
Unesco’s largest literacy program is in Afghanistan, she said, and Unesco is also working in Libya and Iraq to train teachers and preserve cultural heritage in liberated areas. It has always worked against anti-Semitism and to preserve the memory of the Holocaust, Ms. Bokova said.
她说，教科文组织最大的扫盲项目在阿富汗，并在利比亚和伊拉克培训教师，保护解放区的文化遗产。博科娃说，机构一向反对反犹主义，致力于保护大屠杀遗产。
Analysts said that actually withdrawing from the organization was a significant escalation by the United States in its criticism of United Nations bodies. “This is another example of the Trump’s administration’s profound ambivalence and concern about the way the U.N. is structured and behaves, and it shows the administration’s determination to separate itself from its predecessors,” said Aaron David Miller, a former Middle East negotiator and adviser in Republican and Democratic administrations.
分析人士称，真的退出了该组织是美国批评联合国机构的重大升级。“这是特朗普政府对联合国构架和运作抱有深刻矛盾和忧虑的又一例证，表明这一届政府决心与前几任总统做出分割。”前中东谈判者、共和党和民主党政府顾问阿伦·戴维·米勒说。
In July,Unesco declared the ancient and hotly contested core of Hebron, in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, as a Palestinian World Heritage site in danger, a decision sharply criticized by Israel and its allies. And in 2015, Unesco adopteda resolution that criticized Israelfor mishandling heritage sites in Jerusalem and condemned “Israeli aggressions and illegal measures against freedom of worship.”
7月，教科文组织宣布古老却争议颇大的希伯伦核心区为巴勒斯坦世界濒危遗产，希伯伦位于以色列占领的约旦河西岸地区，以色列及其盟国猛烈批评这一决定。2015年，教科文组织通过决议，批评以色列不当处置耶路撒冷的遗址，谴责“以色列侵占该处并采取反对信仰自由的非法措施。”
The Trump administration has made the defense of Israel on the global stage a key tenet of its foreign policy. After he was elected but before he became president, Mr. Trump madean extraordinary intervention on the world stageby criticizing the Obama administration’s decision not to block a United Nations resolution criticizing Israeli settlements. Mr. Trump has pledged tomove the United States Embassy to Jerusalemfrom Tel Aviv and selected a pro-settlement ambassador. Nikki Haley, the U.N. ambassador,has repeatedly criticizedthe United Nations for what she called its anti-Israel bias.
特朗普政府将在全球舞台上捍卫以色列作为其外交政策的主调。当选总统还未就任期间，特朗普先生不同寻常地在世界舞台上出面干预，批评奥巴马政府未能阻止谴责以色列定居点的联合国决议。特朗普先生承诺将美国大使馆从特拉维夫搬到耶路撒冷，并指派一名支持定居点的大使。美国驻联合国大使尼基·哈蕾不断批评联合国所谓反以偏见。
For President Trump and for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel, the recognition of world heritage sites in the Palestinian territories, like Hebron and the Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem, and the 2015 resolution and another in 2016, showed an anti-Israel bias.
对特朗普总统和以色列总理本杰明·内塔尼亚胡总理而言，承认巴勒斯坦领土上的世界遗产，如希伯伦和伯利恒主诞教堂及2015年和2016年做出的两份决议，体现出对以色列的偏见。
The 2016 resolution condemned Israel’s “escalating aggressions” regarding a holy site in Jerusalem’s Old City, known to Muslims as al-Haram al-Sharif and to Jews as the Temple Mount. It was submitted by the Palestinians and was supported by 24 countries, with six opposing it and 26 abstaining. It referred to the holy site only using Muslim names and prompted angry reactions from Israeli politicians.
2016年的决议谴责以色列对耶路撒冷老城一圣地“变本加厉”，穆斯林将该圣地称为谢里夫圣地，犹太人称为圣殿山。巴勒斯坦提交了决议，得到24个国家的支持，6个国家反对，26个弃权。提到该圣地时，决议只使用了穆斯林名称，这让以色列政客大为光火。
