The move also comes after civil society groups accused the United Nations of allowing Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo to launder his international reputation by funding the $3 million prize instead of using the cash to improve the living standards of his people.

"I take note of this decision by our Member States, which has been reached by consensus and with respect and dignity towards all concerned parties," said UNESCO Director-General Irina Bokova after talks at the agency's Paris headquarters.

Obiang has run the tiny central African state, which lies between Gabon and Cameroon onshore and whose capital is on an island off the Atlantic coast, since deposing his uncle in a 1979 coup, making him one of Africa's longest-running leaders.

Under his rule, the country has leapt from small-scale cocoa producer to major oil exporter with a per capita GDP higher than Saudi Arabia. Critics say most oil revenues are squandered or stolen, leaving the near 700,000 population mired in poverty.

Watchdog Transparency International has listed Equatorial Guinea as among the world's top 12 most corrupt countries.
"Teodoro Obiang's regime undermines everything UNESCO stands for," said Tutu Alicante, head of Equatorial Guinea-focused human rights group EG Justice, in a news release.

There was no immediate response from Obiang's government, which has lobbied hard to keep the prize.

It argues that criticism of the country's leadership is misguided and that it is taking steps to better the lives of its citizens, including by building hospitals and schools.

Obiang's government, also the target of U.S. and European corruption investigations, has hired high-powered U.S. public relations consultants, including a former adviser to former U.S. president Bill Clinton, in an attempt to rebrand itself.