United States leaves UNESCO two years after rejoining

The United States on Tuesday informed the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization, or UNESCO, of its decision to withdraw from the organization, the State Department said. Continued involvement in UNESCO isn’t in the national interest of the United States, department spokeswoman Tammy Bruce said in a written statement.

Did Bruce give reasons for the pullout? The organization advances divisive social and cultural causes and focuses on the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals, which Bruce described as globalist and at odds with the Trump administration’s America First policy. She also cited UNESCO’s decision to recognize and admit a Palestinian state, and what she characterized as resulting proliferation of anti-Israel rhetoric, as reasons for the withdrawal.

The withdrawal will take effect on Dec. 31, 2026, due to UNESCO rules, Bruce said. The United States previously left the organization in 2017 during President Trump’s first term, also due in part to perceived anti-Israel bias. It rejoined in 2023, during former President Biden’s term.

How did the organization react? Director-General Audrey Azoulay said on Tuesday that she deeply regretted the move, but wasn’t surprised. The United States’ financial contribution to UNESCO decreased in recent years to 8% of the organization’s budget, she said. Claims of anti-Israel bias ignored UNESCO’s work in Holocaust education and in combating anti-Semitism, she said. The organization will pursue political dialogue with the U.S. government and lawmakers, Azoulay said.

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