On Tuesday, July 22, 2025, the Trump administration announced its decision to once again withdraw the United States from the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), a move that marks the third time the U.S. has left the agency and signals a further retreat from international organizations under President Trump’s leadership.
The decision comes just two years after the Biden administration rejoined UNESCO, ending a five-year absence that began during President Trump’s first term. The withdrawal will not take effect until the end of December 2026, giving UNESCO and its partners time to prepare for the loss of U.S. participation and funding.
White House officials cited concerns similar to those raised in 2018 when the U.S. first exited UNESCO under Trump. State Department spokesperson Tammy Bruce stated, “Continued involvement in UNESCO is not in the national interest of the United States,” accusing the agency of promoting “divisive social and cultural causes” and maintaining an “outsized focus on the U.N.’s Sustainable Development Goals, a globalist, ideological agenda” that conflicts with the “America First” foreign policy.
Adding to this, White House deputy press secretary Anna Kelly told the New York Post that President Trump decided to withdraw because UNESCO “supports woke, divisive cultural and social causes that are totally out-of-step with the commonsense policies that Americans voted for in November.” She emphasized the administration’s commitment to ensuring that U.S. membership in international organizations aligns with national interests.
The Trump administration’s decision followed a 90-day review ordered earlier in 2025, which specifically analyzed allegations of anti-Semitism and anti-Israel sentiment within UNESCO. This scrutiny echoes past U.S. grievances: the U.S. and Israel stopped funding UNESCO after the agency admitted the Palestinian state as a full member in 2011, a move the U.S. viewed as deeply problematic and contrary to its policy.
UNESCO’s director general, Audrey Azoulay, expressed deep regret over the U.S. decision but said the agency was prepared for the withdrawal. She rejected accusations of anti-Israel bias, highlighting UNESCO’s active efforts in Holocaust education and combating antisemitism. Azoulay noted, “The reasons put forward by the United States of America are the same as seven years ago, even though the situation has changed profoundly, political tensions have receded, and UNESCO today constitutes a rare forum for consensus on concrete and action-oriented multilateralism.”
UNESCO officials have indicated that the financial impact of the U.S. departure will be minimal. The U.S. currently contributes approximately 8% of UNESCO’s total budget, an amount expected to be around $75 million for 2025. Over the years, the agency has diversified its funding sources, relying more on voluntary contributions from other member states and private donors. Azoulay reassured that despite “inevitably reduced resources,” UNESCO is not considering staff layoffs and will continue its missions.
Founded in 1945 and headquartered in Paris, UNESCO is best known for its World Heritage Sites program, which has recognized over 1,200 landmarks worldwide, including the Taj Mahal, Egypt’s pyramids of Giza, the Grand Canyon National Park, and cultural treasures like Italy’s opera singing and the French baguette. Beyond cultural preservation, UNESCO promotes education, science, and communication to foster global peace, running programs on literacy, sex education, clean water, women’s equality, ocean protection, and the ethics of artificial intelligence. It also supports education efforts in conflict zones such as Ukraine.
The U.S. has had a rocky relationship with UNESCO over the decades. The first withdrawal occurred in 1984 during the Reagan administration, which criticized the agency for mismanagement, corruption, and advancing Soviet interests during the Cold War. The U.S. rejoined in 2003 under President George W. Bush. Under President Obama, the U.S. cut funding in 2011 after UNESCO recognized Palestine as a member state, leading to a significant budget shortfall for the agency. The Trump administration then announced a full withdrawal in 2017, which took effect in 2018, citing anti-Israel bias.
The Biden administration reversed this trend by rejoining UNESCO in 2023, arguing that the U.S. absence had allowed other powers, notably China, to fill the void and influence UNESCO policymaking—particularly in areas like artificial intelligence and technology education standards. The Biden administration also pledged to gradually repay more than $600 million in arrears.
However, the Trump administration’s renewed withdrawal signals a continued skepticism of multilateralism and international institutions. It follows earlier moves to pull the U.S. out of the World Health Organization and the United Nations Human Rights Council, part of a broader “America First” approach to reshape U.S. diplomacy and foreign policy.
The U.S. withdrawal has elicited mixed reactions. Israel’s Foreign Minister Gideon Saar welcomed the decision, calling it “a necessary step, designed to promote justice and Israel’s right for fair treatment in the U.N. system, a right which has often been trampled due to politicization in this arena.” In contrast, Representative Gregory Meeks, the top Democrat on the House Foreign Affairs Committee, criticized the move as “reckless” and “counterproductive,” warning that China would “celebrate our empty seat” and gain advantage in setting artificial intelligence standards and other global policies.
UNESCO also warned that the U.S. exit could hamper important work on Holocaust education and fighting antisemitism, areas where the agency has made significant advances. It emphasized the ongoing efforts to depoliticize heritage issues, especially in the Middle East, a goal praised by the Biden administration and groups like the American Jewish Committee when the U.S. rejoined.
As the U.S. prepares to step back from UNESCO once more, the agency reiterates that its doors remain open. “UNESCO’s purpose is to welcome all the nations of the world, and the United States of America is and always will be welcome,” Azoulay said. “We will continue to work hand in hand with all our American partners in the private sector, academia, and non-profit organizations, and will pursue our political dialogue with the U.S. administration and Congress.”
With the withdrawal set to take effect in late 2026, the coming months will be critical in determining how UNESCO adapts to the absence of one of its historic members and how the U.S. recalibrates its role on the global stage amid shifting geopolitical dynamics.
