The US announced its third withdrawal from UNESCO effective December 31, 2026, citing the organisation's admission of Palestine as a member and conflicts with the Trump administration's "America First" foreign policy.
“Today, the United States informed Director-General Audrey Azoulay of the United States’ decision to withdraw from UNESCO," State Department spokesperson Tammy Bruce said in a statement on Tuesday.
She said continued involvement in the Paris-based agency "is not in the national interest" of Washington.
'Globalist agenda' criticised
Bruce said UNESCO advances "divisive social and cultural causes" and maintains focus on UN Sustainable Development Goals, describing them as a "globalist, ideological agenda for international development at odds with our America First foreign policy."
The spokesperson also called UNESCO's 2011 decision to admit Palestine as a member state "highly problematic, contrary to US policy," saying it contributed to "anti-Israel" rhetoric within the organisation.
The withdrawal repeats the Trump administration's 2018 exit from the UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization over alleged "anti-Israel bias" and organisational mismanagement.
Washington previously withdrew from the institution in 1984, under the administration of then President Ronald Reagan, due to concerns over the agency's "extraneous" politicisation, along with other reasons.
Under former president Joe Biden in 2023, the US rejoined as UNESCO's 194th member state.
Bruce said continued US participation in international organisations would focus on "advancing American interests with clarity and conviction."
