New Unesco chief must ‘restore honour’, Israel says
UNESCO’S NEW Jewish directorgeneral Audrey Azoulay must depoliticise the organisation in order to “restore its honour”, Israel’s ambassador to the organisation has told the JC.
Carmel Shama-Hacohen, who has been the Israeli envoy since 2014, said the international heritage agency had become a symbol of extremism and needed to change.
The United States said it would quit the organisation at the end of next year because of its “continuing anti-Israel bias”, which prompted Benjamin Netanyahu to say he had issued instructions to prepare for an Israeli exit from Unesco.
Mr Shama-Hacohen, who did not comment directly on the withdrawal plans, said the UN heritage agency had lost its focus.
“It needs to defend the values it was designed to defend. It needs to restore its honour,” he said.
“Today, the organisation is the exact opposite. It’s not defending consensual values like education, culture, science. Today, it’s politicised, a weapon countries use against their rivals. It’s in constant war and it has been abandoned by the US.
“Israel would like Unesco to be depoliticised, like the OECD — where countries continue working together even in rough times.”
Azoulay, a culture minister in former French President François Hollande’s government, was selected as Unesco’s new director-general ahead of eight other candidates on Friday.
After beating her Qatari opponent in the final vote she said her first goal was to restore Unesco’s credibility, but did not indicate how. She also criticised the US and Israel for pulling out of the organisation.
“In times of crisis, countries should strengthen their presence, reinforce the organisation and reform it. It’s not a time to leave,” she said.
Unesco has been grappling with a funding crisis since 2011, which was when the United States withdrew its funding in response to the body’s admitting Palestine as a member state.
Ms Azoulay’s Jewish heritage — her family originate from Morocco — could complicate her job further, Mr ShamaHacohen suggested.
“Her mission is to defend Unesco’s interests. Because she’s Jewish some could suspect her of having a pro-Israeli bias,” he said.
“And remember that some Jews have defended the opposite positions so no one would accuse them of being proIsraeli.
“I don’t envy her.”
Azoulay will officially take up the job next month.