The United States is withdrawing from the UN cultural and educational agency, UNESCO, the US State Department has announced, continuing Donald Trump's move to withdraw the country from international institutions, the Guardian reported. "UNESCO works to promote divisive social and cultural issues and continues to place too much emphasis on the UN's Sustainable Development Goals, a globalist ideological agenda for international development that is at odds with our America First foreign policy," said State Department spokeswoman Tammy Bruce.
The move is a blow to the Paris-based global organization, founded after World War II to promote peace through international cooperation in education, science and culture. The decision is part of the president's second-term push to withdraw the United States from a series of global bodies, including withdrawing from the World Health Organization (WHO), halting funding for the Palestinian relief agency UNRWA and withdrawing from the U.N. Human Rights Council as part of a review of U.S. participation in U.N. agencies.
But officials at UNESCO's Paris headquarters are already preparing for a possible U.S. withdrawal during Trump's second term. The United States provides about 8 percent of the organization's total budget, so the financial impact of Washington's departure would be less severe than for other organizations, such as the WHO, where the U.S. is by far the largest contributor.
President Trump has decided to withdraw the United States from UNESCO – which promotes shrewd, divisive cultural and social causes that are diametrically opposed to the sound policies Americans voted for in November
– said White House deputy spokeswoman Anna Kelly to the New York Post.
In February, the White House announced it would review the United States' membership in UNESCO within 90 days, writing in a statement that the global organization had"failed to reform, consistently displayed anti-Israel bias over the past decade, and failed to address concerns about growing backlogs."
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UNESCO, the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, is best known for designating World Heritage sites such as the Grand Canyon in the United States and the ancient city of Palmyra in Syria. It also has a large cultural and educational program to promote dialogue between cultures.
Washington first withdrew in 1983, under the presidency of Ronald Reagan, whose administration said the global organization had an anti-Western bias and “alienated politics on virtually every issue it deals with.” The U.S. rejoined in 2003 under George W. Bush, and the White House said it was pleased with UNESCO’s reforms.
Trump withdrew the United States from UNESCO in 2017, during his first term as president. His administration cited “growing arrears, the need for fundamental reform of the organization, and continued anti-Israel bias” as reasons for the withdrawal.
The United States returned to UNESCO in 2023 under Joe Biden. The Biden administration said the return was vital to countering “Chinese influence.” In Washington’s absence, Beijing became the organization’s largest financial backer. As a condition of readmission, the United States agreed to pay about $619 million in unpaid membership fees and contribute to programs supporting access to education in Africa, Holocaust remembrance, and the safety of journalists.
In 2011, UNESCO voted to admit Palestine, which is not officially recognized as a UN member state by either the United States or Israel. The Barack Obama White House cut UNESCO contributions, leaving America indebted to the organization by millions. Audrey Azoulay, UNESCO Director-General, said: “As regrettable as this is, we expected this announcement and UNESCO was prepared for it.”
Azoulay said she"deeply" regretted Trump's decision to withdraw, saying the move"contradicts the fundamental principles of multilateralism." She added that the reasons given by the United States for withdrawing were the same as those given during Trump's first term, and she disputed them.
– he continued.
Azoulay said UNESCO had implemented structural reforms and diversified its funding sources, “offsetting the declining trend in US financial contributions.” She added that UNESCO was not considering cutting jobs due to the US departure.
