Palestinians aim to join 16 UN agencies

It's not just Unesco, the Palestinians' top envoy in Geneva yesterday said he believes that joining the UN agency for culture, education and science will "open the door" to joining 16 other UN agencies within weeks.

Ibrahim Khraishi, the top Palestinian envoy at the UN in Geneva, told the Associated Press that Palestinian diplomats are now planning to capitalize on Monday's landslide vote to allow the Palestinians into Unesco by preparing papers to join the other UN agencies and a variety of other international organisations.
The Obama administration cut off funding to Unesco after Monday's vote, and US officials warned of a 'cascade' effect at other UN bodies that might follow Unesco's lead.
Becoming a Unesco member could give the Palestinians an advantage in joining the UN World Intellectual Property Organisation, whose rules say membership is 'equally open' to those already a member of other UN specialized agencies.
But it's not clear whether that means membership is automatic, and Geneva-based spokeswoman for the organization Samar Shamoon declined to comment on that.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu convened his inner cabinet yesterday to weigh a response, including possible punitive measures, to Unesco's decision to admit Palestine as a full member.
Israeli media reported that the so-called Forum of Eight would meet on Tuesday afternoon to discuss the best way to respond to Monday's Unesco vote, which handed the Palestinians a key diplomatic victory and angered Israel.
Assistant US Secretary of State Esther Brimmer emphasized Monday that Palestinian membership in the UN World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO), "could have serious implications for US leadership in this organization," which supports global infrastructure helping US companies to protect their business interests around the world, according to State Department briefing notes.
Fadela Chaib, spokeswoman for the World Health Organization (WHO), another Geneva-based UN agency, said any nation that is part of the UN can join. For those that are not part, she said, the annual World Health Assembly can approve membership by a simple majority vote if a written request is received at least 30 days beforehand.
Cutting US funding for WHO would hurt, she conceded.
"Of course we need it. The US funding is quite important, I guess for all the UN organisations," Chaib told reporters. "It's a vital funding need for WHO."