First Lady Jill Biden will be in France this week to mark the United States’ return to the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) and to honor troops who served in World War II.
Biden’s trip, which will be her first to France as first lady, will begin Monday in Paris where she will greet families at the U.S. Embassy, according to the White House. On Tuesday, she will meet the first lady of France, Brigitte Macron, at the Élysée Palace. Biden will then deliver remarks at the UNESCO flag-raising ceremony and greet UNESCO Director-General Audrey Azoulay.
Biden will then travel from Paris to Brittany and Normandy on Wednesday where she will visit the American Cemetery in Brittany to pay tribute to American servicemen who lost their lives in northern France during World War II.
She will then visit Mont Saint-Michel, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, to highlight the importance of preserving cultural heritage sites around the world.
The White House on Saturday marked the United States’ return to UNESCO after former President Trump withdrew the United States from the agreement.
The United States withdrew from the organization in 2019. The international organization was co-founded by the United States after World War II.
Senior administration officials have said the United States’ non-participation in the organization is detrimental to its interests, noting that its competitors “work hard at the UN to shape the global agenda on issues ranging from emerging technologies to sustainable development.”
“If we’re not in the room, we can’t push back, and if we don’t show up, we can’t fight for the American people and defend our allies abroad from unjust attacks,” officials said.
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