Russia fails to be elected to UNESCO Executive Board for first time

For the first time ever, the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) did not elect Russia to one of its central bodies – the Executive Board.

Source: European Pravda; President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Twitter

Details: Zelenskyy said Russia had been "ousted from the UNESCO Executive Board" for the first time in history.

"The era of Russian influence is over, and rightly so: Russian terrorists have no place at the head of significant international bodies. Russia’s international role will only continue to weaken," Zelenskyy added.

The Executive Board of UNESCO is one of the three key bodies of the organisation (along with the General Conference and the Secretariat) and oversees its budget and programme activities.

The board has 58 members, elected by the General Conference, an advisory body that includes all members of UNESCO. Members of the Executive Board are elected on a quota basis, with quotas allocated for each region by a relative majority of votes.

Russia is a member of Group II Eastern Europe, from which Serbia (137 votes), Albania (134), Slovakia (117) and Czechia (99) were elected.

Background:

• Last week, Russia’s representative was not elected to the International Court of Justice for the first time. He lost out to the Romanian representative, former foreign minister Bogdan Aurescu.

Support UP or become our patron!