The United States announced on Tuesday that it will be withdrawing from UNESCO.The decision comes after the Trump administration said continued involvement with the United Nations cultural organization was not in the US national interest.White House deputy spokesperson Anna Kelly told the New York Post that, “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 common-sense policies that Americans voted for in November.”The move — set to take place in December 2026 — is a blow to the Paris-based agency and represents the third time the US has left UNESCO and the second under the Trump administration.President Donald Trump had previously pulled out during his first term in 2017, citing “anti-Israel bias,” before the United States returned after a five-year absence from the agency, with the Biden administration reversing the decision in 2021..TDF lawyers express alarm to UNESCO over worldwide censorship plan.The United States provides roughly 8% of UNESCO’s total budget, which is down from about 20% since the first time Trump withdrew from the agency.UNESCO — United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization — is best known for designating World Heritage Sites including the Taj Mahal in India and the Great Wall of China.The decision comes as no surprise to UNESCO officials, who had anticipated the move following a review ordered earlier this year by the Trump administration.“I deeply regret President Donald Trump’s decision to once again withdraw the United States of America from UNESCO,” Audrey Azoulay, head of UNESCO, said on Tuesday.“However regrettable, this announcement was expected and UNESCO has prepared for it.”The US first joined UNESCO at its founding in 1945 and withdrew for the first time in 1984 under President Ronald Reagan, after alleging anti-US bias, corruption, and financial mismanagement. It rejoined in 2003 under George W. Bush’s presidency.
