US to withdraw from UN scientific and cultural agency UNESCO again, White House says

(CNN) — President Donald Trump is pulling the United States out of the United Nations Educational Scientific and Cultural Organization or UNESCO, a White House official told CNN.

The move comes as the US president continues to pull the country out of international institutions and makes ending Diversity Equity and Inclusion (DEI) programs a key focus of his administration.

“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 commonsense policies that Americans voted for in November,” White House deputy spokesperson Anna Kelly said in a statement.

In a statement, State Department spokesperson Tammy Bruce added the US’ continued participation in UNESCO is not in its “national interest.” The withdrawal will take effect on December 31, 2026.

UNESCO “promotes cooperation in education, science, culture and communication to foster peace worldwide,” its website states.

The United States was a founding member of UNESCO in 1945 but withdrew in 1984, citing concerns over financial mismanagement and a perceived bias against US interests.

Nearly two decades later, in 2003, the US rejoined the organization during President George W. Bush’s administration, with Bush stating that UNESCO had implemented important reforms.

The US again withdrew from UNESCO during the first Trump administration but rejoined under Biden. After he took office for the second time, President Donald Trump ordered a review of US participation, including “an analysis of any anti-Semitism or anti-Israel sentiment within the organization.”

Bruce alleged that “UNESCO works to advance divisive social and cultural causes and maintains an outsized focus on the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals, a globalist, ideological agenda for international development at odds with our America First foreign policy.”

“UNESCO’s decision to admit the ‘State of Palestine’ as a Member State is highly problematic, contrary to U.S. policy, and contributed to the proliferation of anti-Israel rhetoric within the organization,” she said.

UNESCO is widely recognized for its designation of World Heritage Sites, including the Grand Canyon National Park in the US.