On Tuesday, July 22, 2025, the State Department announced the United States’ withdrawal from UNESCO by the end of 2026.
UNESCO, or the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization, is an organization of the United Nations headquartered in Paris, France. It is responsible for several things, most notably for naming World Heritage Sites and keeping a list of humanity’s most worthy creations, including the French baguette and Italian opera singing.
President Trump’s decision to leave UNESCO marks the third time the United States has withdrawn from a United Nations organization since taking office, following the World Health Organization in January and the United Nations Human Rights Council in February. Along with his most recent move, it demonstrates Trump’s disdain for multilateralism and his distrust of foreign and international relationships regarding the United States.
This, however, is not the United States’ first time cutting ties with UNESCO. Under the Obama administration, a congressional mandate had cut off funding for UNESCO because it had included Palestine as a full member. In 2017, during Trump’s first term as president, the United States left the organization completely. It was only in 2023, during former President Biden’s term, when the U.S. chose to reenter the United States into UNESCO, arguing that an empty position at UNESCO would allow competing nations, such as China, to gain more power.
The Trump administration explained in a statement the reason behind the United States’ withdrawal. Tammy Bruce, a spokeswoman for the State Department, said that continued involvement with UNESCO is “not in the national interest of the United States.”
Bruce also accused the organization of promoting topics that are seen as controversial and also do not align with the United States’ values or beliefs. “UNESCO works to advance divisive social and cultural causes and maintains an outsized focus on the U.N.’s Sustainable Development Goals, a globalist, ideological agenda for international development at odds with our America First foreign policy.”
Alongside this, the Trump administration also accused UNESCO of being politically biased against Israel, a long-lasting problem tied to UNESCO. The organization is often criticized for alleged bias towards matters regarding Israel and Palestine.
Some Jewish organizations have shown disapproval for Trump’s decision to withdraw from UNESCO. “Continued American leadership and engagement is critical to ensuring that UNESCO does not once again become a platform for anti-Israel animus,” said Ted Dutch, the chief executive of the American Jewish Committee, in a statement.
Following Trump’s withdrawal, UNESCO officials lamented the United States’s leave. Despite what seemed to be an abrupt departure, UNESCO officials state that the cutoff from U.S. funding would have minimal financial impacts. UNESCO’s general director, Audrey Azoulay, said in a statement that the decision was actually “anticipated, and UNESCO has prepared for it.” According to Azoulay, only eight percent of UNESCO’s total budget comes from the United States, and UNESCO has a diverse variety of funding sources, such as voluntary contributions from member states and from private contributors.