UNESCO

The power of digital platforms – and the need for regulation – requires careful scrutiny. Now is time to consider what role governments, parliaments, civil ...

The brief addresses current trends, challenges and responses worldwide on defamation and related laws, as well as recommendations for Member States and legislators to decriminalize defamation and initiate legislative reforms of defamation laws in line with international standards. Over 25,500 judicial actors, including judges, prosecutors, and lawyers, have received training on these issues, primarily through a [Multi-Donor Programme on Freedom of Expression and Safety of Journalists](https://en.unesco.org/themes/fostering-freedom-expression/mdp/foesoj) (MDP). Guilherme Canela, presented the recently launched The event was held in a hybrid format with over 90 participants. In his opening remarks, Mr.

Beijing has taken advantage of America's absence to push forward its foreign policy agenda. It's time for Washington to fight back.

[list](https://www.hrw.org/world-report/2022/country-chapters/china-and-tibet) of China’s human rights violations in recent years suggests that if China [dictates](https://www.gmfus.org/news/distortion-un-resolution-2758-and-limits-taiwans-access-united-nations) the world order through international organizations, the global community will pay less attention to human rights and democratic values. [advocate](https://www.cfr.org/blog/who-and-china-dereliction-duty) for the Chinese government’s coronavirus response. The campaign ended with a success in UNESCO—when Palestine became a full member in 2011—and a partial success at the UN General Assembly, which [adopted](https://www.un.org/unispal/history/) a resolution granting Palestine the status of non-member “observer state” in 2012. Beijing’s silent [support](https://www.foreignaffairs.com/china/limits-of-a-no-limits-partnership-china-russia) for Russia’s brutal aggression against Ukraine proves that Beijing’s views on the rule of law and international order are very different from those held by the United States, the European Union, and other like-minded democratic nations. However, the ROC Ministry of Culture has [identified](https://www.moc.gov.tw/en/informationlist_130.html) a list of potential UNESCO sites, which demonstrates that democratic Taiwan wishes to rejoin UNESCO. UNESCO has also [facilitated](https://www.unesco.org/en/articles/unesco-supports-50000-ukrainian-teachers-safeguard-learning-amid-war) more than 50,000 Ukrainian teachers to receive Chromebooks to ensure the continuity of learning amid the war. Reagan [viewed](https://www.pbs.org/newshour/politics/u-s-and-israel-officially-withdraw-from-unesco) the agency as “mismanaged, corrupt, and used to advance Soviet interests.” [supported](https://www.unesco.org/en/articles/unesco-supports-ukraines-15000-school-psychologists-improve-students-mental-health?hub=66116) 15,000 school psychologists to improve the mental health of Ukrainian students. After it stopped paying dues—22 percent of the UNESCO annual budget—the United States [lost](https://www.theguardian.com/world/2013/nov/08/us-unesco-voting-funds-palestine-decision) its voting rights. [America First](https://nationalinterest.org/feature/can-united-states-leave-behind-partisan-politics-%E2%80%98america-first%E2%80%99-foreign-relations-171704)” agenda, Washington disregarded active participation in international organizations—including the United Nations and many of its agencies. Beijing has also managed to [establish](https://whc.unesco.org/en/statesparties/cn) fifty-six World Heritage Sites, making China the second largest host after Italy. The “ [waiver authority](https://www.appropriations.senate.gov/imo/media/doc/JRQ121922.PDF)” makes it crystal clear that the goal of reentry into the Paris-based UN agency is “to counter Chinese influence or to promote other national interests of the United States.”