In a renewed blow to multilateral diplomacy, the Trump administration has announced the United States. He said US will withdraw from UNESCO by December 2026. The decision, revealed by the State Department on Tuesday. It reflects Washington’s deepening disapproval of the United Nations’ culture and education agency. Trump officials argue that UNESCO promotes a “globalist, ideological agenda” incompatible with the administration’s America First foreign policy.
Tammy Bruce, a State Department spokesperson, stated that UNESCO has focused on “divisive social and cultural causes” and gives excessive weight to the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals, which she called incompatible with U.S. values.
Founded in 1945, UNESCO was created to foster peace through international collaboration in education, science, and culture. The U.S. was a founding member but has now exited the organization three times. The first withdrawal came under Ronald Reagan in 1983, who cited anti-Western bias. The U.S. rejoined in 2003 under George W. Bush, only to leave again in 2017 under Trump, criticizing the organization’s “anti-Israel bias” and failure to reform.
The Biden administration had rejoined UNESCO in 2023, arguing the move was vital to push back against growing Chinese influence. Biden agreed to settle over $600 million in unpaid dues as a condition of re-entry and pledged support for programs including Holocaust education and journalist safety.
UNESCO officials in Paris reportedly anticipated another U.S. exit during Trump’s second term. While the U.S. contributes around 8% of the agency’s total budget, the financial hit is less severe than for bodies like the World Health Organization, which has also faced U.S. withdrawal under Trump.
White House Deputy Spokesperson Anna Kelly told the New York Post that the decision reflects American voters’ rejection of “woke” global institutions.
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Tensions between the U.S. and UNESCO date back to 2011, when the agency admitted Palestine as a member, prompting funding cuts by the Obama administration. These cuts left Washington owing millions in arrears debts that Biden only recently moved to resolve.
Now, with the U.S. preparing to leave again, UNESCO faces yet another diplomatic rupture with one of its most influential members.
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