The State Department announced that the United States would be withdrawing from the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).
A press statement confirmed the withdrawal, stating that the U.S. informed UNESCO Director-General Audrey Azoulay of the decision on Tuesday morning.
According to the State Department, being part of the organization is “not in the national interest of the United States.”
“UNESCO works to advance divisive social and cultural causes and maintains an outsized focus on the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals, a globalist, ideological agenda for international development at odds with our America First foreign policy,” State Department spokesperson Tammy Bruce said in the press statement. “UNESCO’s decision to admit the ‘State of Palestine’ as a Member State is highly problematic, contrary to U.S. policy, and contributed to the proliferation of anti-Israel rhetoric within the organization.”
“Continued U.S. participation in international organizations will focus on advancing American interests with clarity and conviction,” the statement continued.
This withdrawal is the latest in America’s complicated relationship with UNESCO. In 2011, the U.S. stopped funding the organization due to it admitting Palestine as a full member, triggering a U.S. law that requires the country to cut funding to any United Nations agency that recognizes a Palestinian state.
It was reported that those cuts deprived UNESCO of nearly a fifth of its budget.
In 2017, the Trump administration went even further and announced a complete withdrawal due to alleged anti-Israel bias; however, the Biden administration reversed that decision in 2023 and rejoined the organization.
Per the State Department, the United States’ current UNESCO withdrawal will officially take effect on Dec. 31, 2026. The U.S. will remain a full member until that date.
The UNESCO website describes the organization as one that promotes cooperation in education, science, culture and communication to foster peace worldwide. UNESCO is well known for designating more than 1,200 World Heritage sites across the planet.
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