UNESCO Director General Nominee Urges US to Restore Funding of Organization

MOSCOW (Sputnik) — The United States stopped funding UNESCO after it accepted Palestine membership in 2011, thus depriving the organization of 22 percent of its budget.

"Financial resources is one of the biggest challenges of UNESCO this days. We need to see the United States come back to the organization and pay its contribution to UNESCO. All states need to embrace UNESCO," Khattab said.

The candidate also highlighted the need to reform the organization.

"The reform of UNESCO is part and parcel of the reform of the UN. We have a window of opportunity with a new United Nations Secretary General, charting a new path for effective multilateralism with more synergy and closer coordination," she said.

Khattab said, the organization needs to be strengthened at national and regional levels "to achieve more synergy in its work," while adding that if she becomes the next UNESCO director general, she will work closely with the organization's national commissions in developing countries in order to improve their effectiveness.

In July, Egypt announced it was nominating Khattab, the former minister of family and population, and ambassador to South Africa, the Czech Republic and Slovakia, for the post of the UNESCO director general. Khattab has also served as secretary general of the National Council for Childhood and Motherhood in Egypt.

UNESCO's next chief will be chosen in October 2017 by the General Conference. The mandate of the organization’s current director general, Bulgaria's Irina Bokova, expires this year.