[Congressional Bills 106th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 1974 Introduced in House (IH)]







106th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 1974

   Directing the President to develop a strategy to bring the United 
 States back into full and active participation in the United Nations 
          Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                              May 27, 1999

  Mr. Lantos (for himself, Mr. Leach, Mr. Gejdenson, Mr. Berman, Mr. 
 Abercrombie, Mr. Hastings of Florida, Mr. McGovern, Ms. McKinney, and 
 Mr. Serrano) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the 
                  Committee on International Relations

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
   Directing the President to develop a strategy to bring the United 
 States back into full and active participation in the United Nations 
          Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. CONGRESSIONAL FINDINGS.

    The Congress finds that--
            (1) the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and 
        Cultural Organization (UNESCO) was created in 1946 as an 
        integral part of the United Nations system, designed to promote 
        international cooperation and exchanges in the fields of 
        education, science, culture, and communication with the larger 
        purpose of constructing ``the defenses of peace'' against 
        intolerance and incitements to war;
            (2) in 1984 the United States withdrew from membership in 
        UNESCO over serious questions of internal management and 
        political polarization;
            (3) since the United States withdrew from the organization, 
        UNESCO has elected new leadership, instituted tightened 
        financial controls and strategic planning, cut budget and 
        staff, restored recognition of intellectual property rights, 
        and returned to support for the principle of an unfettered, 
        independent international press, thus addressing the criticisms 
        which formed the basis for the United States' withdrawal from 
        membership in the organization;
            (4) in 1993 the General Accounting Office, after conducting 
        an extensive review of UNESCO's progress in implementing 
        changes directed at solving the problems that were cited by the 
        United States in its decision to withdraw from the organization 
        in 1984, concluded that the organization's member states, the 
        Director General of UNESCO, managers, and employee associations 
        have demonstrated a commitment to management reform through 
        their actions;
            (5) United States participation in UNESCO programs in 
        education, science, culture, and communication offers a man for 
        advancing the foreign policy interests of the United States 
        through the promotion of democracy and the development of civil 
        societies, sustainable development, and the peaceful resolution 
        of conflict;
            (6) the UNESCO charter states that ``since wars begin in 
        the minds of men, it is in the minds of men that the defenses 
        of peace must be constructed.'' If there is any hope of 
        diminishing intolerance and hostility among nations it must 
        come through a greater international commitment to education 
        and mutual understanding which UNESCO nurtures;
            (7) security in the twenty-first century will be more 
        dependent upon education and cultural advancement than upon the 
        acquisition of increasingly costly and sophisticated arsenals 
        of war; hence, it is imperative to build up international 
        organizations such as UNESCO which advance international 
        understanding and techniques of conflict resolution.

SEC. 2. ACTIONS TO BE TAKEN BY THE PRESIDENT.

    The President shall--
            (1) develop a strategy to bring the United States back into 
        active and full membership in the United Nations Educational, 
        Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) as soon as 
        practicable;
            (2) direct the Secretary of State to consult with 
        government agencies, nongovernmental organizations, and other 
        interested parties that had substantial involvement with the 
        work of UNESCO before the withdrawal of the United States in 
        order to formulate goals the United States should pursue 
        through its participation in UNESCO and to reexamine the 
        framework established in law for the participation of the 
        American nongovernmental sector in UNESCO activities;
            (3) direct the Secretary of State to reconstitute the 
        United States National Commission for UNESCO; and
            (4) consult with other governments on prospects for further 
        reform of UNESCO's policy bodies and governance, particularly 
        with an eye to strengthening in all member states the role of 
        independent, nongovernmental, intellectual sectors in agency 
        programs and governance.

SEC. 3. REPORT BY THE DEPARTMENT OF STATE.

    (a) Six months after the enactment of this legislation, the 
Department of State shall deliver a report in writing to the Congress 
detailing the actions taken by the President pursuant to section 2 of 
this act. This report shall be made to the Committee on International 
Relations of the House of Representatives and to the Committee on 
Foreign Relations of the Senate.
    (b) After the initial report, the Department of State shall deliver 
a report in writing annually to the Congress until the United States 
again becomes a fully participating member of UNESCO.
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