President Donald Trump has ordered the United States to withdraw from the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) for a second time, citing the agency's alleged anti-Israel bias, promotion of "woke" cultural initiatives, and support for globalist development goals.
The withdrawal, announced Tuesday by the State Department, will take effect on December 31, 2026. Until then, the U.S. will remain a full member of the Paris-based organization, which was founded in 1945 to promote international cooperation through education, science, and culture.
"President Trump has decided to withdraw the United States from UNESCO - which supports woke, divisive cultural and social causes that are totally out-of-step with the commonsense policies that Americans voted for in November," said White House Deputy Press Secretary Anna Kelly.
The move follows previous withdrawals by the Trump administration from the World Health Organization and the U.N. Human Rights Council. "Continued involvement in UNESCO is not in the national interest of the United States," the State Department said in a statement, adding that the organization's "outsized focus on the U.N.'s Sustainable Development Goals" and diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) initiatives run counter to Trump's "America First" foreign policy.
The decision was not unexpected. Trump ordered a review of U.S. participation in UNESCO in February, and according to sources familiar with the matter, finalized his decision last week. UNESCO Director-General Audrey Azoulay had engaged in discussions with Vice President J.D. Vance, Republican lawmakers, and Jewish organizations in an effort to avert the withdrawal.
"The reasons put forward by the United States to withdraw from the organization are the same as seven years ago, even though the situation has changed profoundly," Azoulay said in a statement. "UNESCO today constitutes a rare forum for consensus on concrete and action-oriented multilateralism." She added that U.S. funding currently accounts for just 8% of UNESCO's budget due to financial diversification efforts after the previous U.S. withdrawal in 2017.
Israel, which withdrew from UNESCO shortly after the U.S. exit in 2017, welcomed the renewed departure. "A necessary step, designed to promote justice and Israel's right for fair treatment in the UN system," said Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar.
A senior Israeli official said the Trump administration had informed Israel of the decision in advance. Tensions surrounding Palestine's admission as a full UNESCO member in 2011, which triggered a halt in U.S. funding under Obama-era legal restrictions, remain a flashpoint.
Azoulay has "taken an active role in combatting antisemitism, hate speech and anti-Israel bias," the American Jewish Committee wrote in a letter to Secretary of State Marco Rubio earlier this year, urging continued U.S. membership.
UNESCO officials pushed back against accusations of bias. "These claims also contradict the reality of UNESCO's efforts, particularly in the field of Holocaust education and the fight against antisemitism," Azoulay stated.
French President Emmanuel Macron reaffirmed support for the agency, writing on X, formerly Twitter: "Unwavering support for UNESCO, universal protector of science, the ocean, education, culture, and world heritage."
UNESCO, whose responsibilities include designating World Heritage Sites such as the Grand Canyon, has long been at the center of geopolitical frictions. The U.S. first exited the organization in 1984 under President Ronald Reagan, citing financial mismanagement and anti-U.S. bias, before rejoining in 2003 under President George W. Bush.
The Biden administration had reversed Trump's previous UNESCO withdrawal in 2023, citing the need to counter China's growing influence within the U.N. system. A U.S. diplomatic source told Axios the renewed exit "is a big present for those who don't want programs on Holocaust education and fighting antisemitism, for the enemies of Israel and for China."
