Washington: The United States has announced its decision to withdraw from the United Nations Educational, Scientific, Cultural and Communication Organization (UNESCO) by the end of 2026. This decision comes just two years after the US rejoined the agency. The announcement was made public by State Department spokeswoman Tammy Bruce, who stated that continued involvement in UNESCO is not aligned with the national interest of the United States.
According to Ghana News Agency, the decision to withdraw follows a review ordered by US President Donald Trump regarding the country's involvement and funding of the United Nations. President Trump has expressed concerns about the management of the UN, despite acknowledging its potential. UNESCO, based in Paris, is known for promoting cooperation in education, science, culture, and communication, and is renowned for its World Heritage list, which includes significant cultural and natural sites such as Yellowstone National Park and the Statue of Liberty.
The State Department's statement criticized UNESCO for advancing divisive social and cultural causes and maintaining a focus on the UN's Sustainable Development Goals, which the department described as a globalist agenda conflicting with the US's America First foreign policy. Additionally, the US cited UNESCO's decision to admit the 'State of Palestine' as a member state as problematic and contrary to US policy, contributing to anti-Israel rhetoric within the organization.
The agency has faced disputes related to the Israel-Palestine conflict, particularly following the admission of the Palestinian Territories as a member state in 2011, which led to the US halting its payments to UNESCO. The US remains the largest financial contributor to UNESCO, ahead of China and Japan, and its planned withdrawal is expected to have significant financial implications for the agency.
This is not the first time the US has withdrawn from UNESCO; the country previously withdrew in 1984, citing anti-Western policies and inefficient governance, before rejoining in 2003. The Trump administration initially withdrew the US from UNESCO in 2018, accusing it of a hostile stance towards Israel, before rejoining under the Biden administration in 2023.
Founded in 1945, UNESCO employs approximately 2,000 people and has 194 member states. Previous figures from the United Nations Association of Germany indicated that UNESCO lost 22% of its regular budget annually following the US withdrawal in 2018, highlighting the potential financial impact of the upcoming withdrawal.
