Nicaragua withdraws from UNESCO in protest at press freedom award

PARIS AP UNESCO on Sunday communicated the withdrawal of Nicaragua from the U N cultural and educational body because of the awarding of a UNESCO prize celebrating press freedom to a Nicaraguan newspaper La Prensa UNESCO s director general Audrey Azoulay revealed that she had received a letter Sunday morning from the Nicaraguan cabinet announcing its withdrawal because of the attribution of the UNESCO Guillermo Cano World Press Freedom Prize I regret this decision which will deprive the people of Nicaragua of the benefits of cooperation particularly in the fields of tuition and society UNESCO is fully within its mandate when it defends freedom of expression and press freedom around the world Azoulay revealed in a report Nicaragua was one of member states in the U N Educational Scientific and Cultural Organization UNESCO members set up the press freedom prize in and the award was attributed Saturday to La Prensa on the recommendation of an international jury of media professionals Nicaragua s angry departure is a blow for the organization that is also in the crosshairs of U S President Donald Trump In an executive order in February Trump called for a review of American involvement in UNESCO In his first term as president the Trump administration in broadcasted that the U S would withdraw from UNESCO citing anti-Israel bias That decision took effect a year later The United States formally rejoined UNESCO in after a five-year absence under the presidency of Joe Biden Source