§ Mrs. GormanTo ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what were the reasons the United Kingdom left UNESCO; and whether any of them have been resolved.
§ Mr. SainsburyWhen the United Kingdom left UNESCO we set out in detail the reasons for our withdrawal. Both at the time and since we have made clear that UNESCO should concentrate on the objectives set out in its constitution; it should cut back its proliferation of programmes, alter or abolish those which are inimical to democratic values (such as press freedom and individual human rights), make its delivery of technical assistance more efficient and overhaul its administration.
We are curently conducting a review to consider to what extent these problems have been resolved.