Australia can rescue UNESCO from Palestine decision

Hopefully Bob Carr will place the looming global humanitarian crisis above the quest for Australia’s seat on the U.N. Security Council. He should take a lead role in getting UNESCO to approach the International Court, as the quickest and best means of restoring the lost American funding.

Australia is perfectly positioned to lobby UNESCO member states to grab this legal lifebelt. 

Australia’s support for the creation of a Palestinian State has been long standing as Gita Kamath pointed out at the time of the Palestine vote:

“Australia strongly supports the aspirations of the Palestinian people for their own state and believes a negotiated peace process between the parties is the way to achieve this…Australia has been a consistent supporter of the peace process. We have provided extensive support and committed to over $300 million in humanitarian and development assistance in the next five years building up the institutions of a future Palestinian state.”

Had the delegates from the 107 pro-Palestine voting states followed Australia’s lead UNESCO would not be in the sorry position it is today.

If Australia continues to sit pat on its heels it will be just as responsible for UNESCO’s ongoing problems as those whose votes have put UNESCO in this bind.

Those 87 countries that declined to vote for Palestine’s admission - for whatever reason - should be readily amenable to an approach by Australia to join in urging UNESCO to seek an advisory opinion from the International Court on the legality of its decision to admit Palestine.

While some countries can rightly claim to not be blamed for the black hole UNESCO has fallen into because of the intemperate action of 107 of their fellow member states, they cannot also afford to sit back and do nothing to rectify a decision which could be in breach of UNESCO’s Constitution, especially given the global humanitarian problems it has created.

Bob Carr, the former Premier of New South Wales, was parachuted into the role of Australia’s Foreign Minister from political retirement in the space of a few days. He seems the perfect choice to lobby member States to get UNESCO to beat a path to the International Court.

If Australia is too timid to act, other naysayer countries like Canada, America, the United Kingdom, Sweden, Norway or Germany should take up the lead role to save UNESCO from itself.

Someone needs to act quickly as the global humanitarian crisis adds more victims every day.