US set to leave UNESCO again after two years of rejoining – US News

The United States is set to withdraw from the United Nations’ cultural and educational agency, UNESCO, as President Donald Trump continues his push to distance the country from international institutions he has long criticised, according to two European diplomats. This decision could be due to what the US describes as a continuing “anti-Israel bias” within the organisation.

Senator Marco Rubio announced Monday, citing the agency’s “globalist” agenda and its recognition of Palestine as the reasons for the exit. Rubio said continued US participation “is not in the national interest” and conflicts with an America First foreign policy, as reported by India Today.

“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 Departent spokeswoman Tammy Bruce said in a statement.

This move marks another setback for the Paris-based agency, established after World War II to foster global peace through cooperation in education, science, and culture. During his first term, Trump had previously pulled the US out of several international bodies, including the World Health Organization (WHO), the UN Human Rights Council, the Paris climate agreement, and the Iran nuclear deal.

Head of UNESCO, Audrey Azoulay, on Tuesday said the US announcement did not come as a surprise. “I deeply regret President Donald Trump’s decision to once again withdraw the United States of America from UNESCO,” Azoulay said. “However regrettable, this announcement was expected, and UNESCO has prepared for it”.

President Joe Biden reversed many of those decisions after taking office in 2021, rejoining UNESCO, the WHO, and the global climate accord. But with Trump now back in office, the US is once again stepping away from these international commitments. He has already ordered the withdrawal from the WHO and halted funding to the Palestinian relief agency UNRWA. A broader review of US participation in UN agencies is expected to conclude in August.

UNESCO is perhaps best known for designating World Heritage Sites, such as the Grand Canyon in the United States and the ancient ruins of Palmyra in Syria.

The US was a founding member of UNESCO in 1945 but first withdrew in 1984 over concerns about financial mismanagement and what it saw as anti-American bias. The country rejoined in 2003 under President George W. Bush after reforms were made.

Currently, the United States contributes around 8% of UNESCO’s total budget, a reduction from the approximately 20% share it provided before Trump’s earlier withdrawal. UNESCO stands for the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization.