July 24 (UPI) — First lady Jill Biden arrived Monday in Paris where she will deliver an address at UNESCO headquarters as the United States was preparing to rejoin the international cultural organization after a six-year hiatus.
The first lady, accompanied by her daughter Ashley Biden, landed at Orly airport shortly before 10 a.m. Monday, and was greeted by a crowd on the tarmac.
Jill Biden’s motorcade departed the runway and traveled to the French capital, where she met with staff of the U.S. embassy, including U.S. Ambassador to France Denise Campbell Bauer, and several other public officials and dignitaries.
Later in the day, the first lady planned to meet with family members of the embassy staff.
After Donald Trump took office in 2017, the United States withdrew from UNESCO, which aimed to promote peace and worldwide cooperation in the fields of education, science, culture and communication after the end of WWII.
The Obama administration also cut off funding to UNESCO in 2011 to protest its decision to grant full membership to Palestine.
More than a decade later, Congress reauthorized contributions to UNESCO in December 2022, setting the stage for U.S. re-entry more than two years into President Joe Biden’s term.
In June, the U.S. State Department sent a letter to UNESCO Director-General Audrey Azoula announcing its intention to rejoin the body.
The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization celebrates diversity while promoting an ongoing intellectual exchange between nearly 200 member nations. After its creation in 1945, UNESCO rebuilt libraries, schools and museums that had been destroyed by Nazi bombs.
