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Watch: Jill Biden celebrates US rejoining Unesco at Paris headquarters

Holly Patrick
Tuesday 25 July 2023 11:53 BST
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Watch as Jill Biden speaks at an event on Tuesday, 25 July, as she visits Paris to mark the United States’ official re-entry into United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (Unesco).

The US first lady attended a flag-raising ceremony to celebrate the re-entry into the agency after a five-year hiatus.

She made a speech about the importance of American leadership in preserving cultural heritage.

It comes after Dr Biden met France’s first lady Brigitte Macron earlier on Tuesday.

Under Donald Trump’s administration, the US pulled out of Unesco because of an alleged anti-Israel bias and a need for “fundamental reform” in the agency.

It was the second time the US returned to Unesco after withdrawing, after previously leaving under Ronald Reagan’s administration in 1984 citing alleged advancement of Soviet interests, mismanagement, and corruption.

The nation announced its intention to rejoin the agency in June 2023 before the agency’s 193 member states approved re-entry.

Today’s ceremony also featured a speech by Unesco’s director general Audrey Azoulay.

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