22 July,2025 07:25 PM IST | Paris | AP
The decision will take effect at the end of December 2026. File pic
The United States (US) on Tuesday announced that it will once again withdraw from the United Nations' educational, scientific and cultural agency, stating that its continued involvement is not in the country's national interest and alleging that the organisation promotes anti-Israel rhetoric, reported AP.
The decision comes just two years after the US re-joined UNESCO, having previously left from the organisation in 2018 during President Donald Trump's first term.
State Department spokesperson Tammy Bruce said the withdrawal was tied to UNESCO's perceived agenda to "advance divisive social and cultural causes."
She added in a statement that UNESCO's decision "to admit the State of Palestine as a Member State is highly problematic, contrary to US policy, and contributed to the proliferation of anti-Israel rhetoric within the organisation."
The move is expected to take effect at the end of December 2026.
This will mark the third time the United States has exited UNESCO, which is headquartered in Paris, and the second under a Trump presidency. The US had rejoined the agency in 2023 under President Joe Biden.
UNESCO Director-General Audrey Azoulay said she "deeply" regretted the US decision but noted that it had been anticipated and that the organisation "has prepared for it." She also rejected accusations of anti-Israel bias.
"These claims ... contradict the reality of UNESCO's efforts, particularly in the field of Holocaust education and the fight against antisemitism," she said.
The Trump administration had previously announced the US withdrawal in 2017, citing anti-Israel bias at the time. That decision came into effect in 2018. The US and Israel had already ceased funding the agency in 2011, after UNESCO voted to admit Palestine as a member state.
"The reasons put forward by the United States of America are the same as seven years ago, even though the situation has changed profoundly, political tensions have receded, and UNESCO today constitutes a rare forum for consensus on concrete and action-oriented multilateralism," Azoulay added.
UNESCO officials were not surprised by the announcement, having anticipated such a move following a specific review ordered by the Trump administration earlier this year. The withdrawal had also been expected since the US return to the agency in 2023 had been championed by a political rival - former President Biden.
The US departure is likely to impact UNESCO, given that it provides a notable portion of the agency's funding. However, the organisation is expected to manage the change, having diversified its funding sources in recent years. The US contribution currently accounts for only 8 per cent of UNESCO's total budget.
Azoulay pledged that UNESCO would continue fulfilling its mandate despite "inevitably reduced resources." She added that there were no plans for staff layoffs at this stage.
"UNESCO's purpose is to welcome all the nations of the world, and the United States of America is and always will be welcome," she said. "We will continue to work hand in hand with all our American partners in the private sector, academia and non-profit organizations, and will pursue our political dialogue with the US administration and Congress."
The United States previously withdrew from UNESCO under President Ronald Reagan in 1984, citing concerns over mismanagement, corruption, and what it saw as the agency being used to further Soviet interests. It later rejoined in 2003 during the presidency of George W Bush.
(With AP inputs)
