The United States has once again announced its withdrawal from UNESCO—just two years after rejoining the organization. According to Washington, the decision stems from what it called the agency’s "anti-Israel bias."
"President Trump has decided to withdraw the United States from UNESCO—an organization that supports divisive and progressive cultural initiatives that are completely out of step with common sense and with the policies Americans voted for in November," White House deputy press secretary Anna Kelly told the New York Post.
Officials from both UNESCO and the White House have yet to formally confirm the move. The U.S. withdrawal is expected to take effect at the end of December 2026 and would deal a significant blow to the Paris-based agency, founded after World War II to promote peace through international cooperation in education, science, and culture.
Donald Trump previously pulled the U.S. out of UNESCO during his first term, alongside exits from the World Health Organization, the UN Human Rights Council, the Paris Climate Agreement, and the 2015 Iran nuclear deal.
The arrival of Joe Biden in 2021 reversed that course: the U.S. rejoined UNESCO, the WHO, and the climate accords. Now, with Trump back in the White House, the process has begun to unravel again—with exits from international institutions resuming.
UNESCO is best known for its World Heritage program, which protects sites such as the Grand Canyon in the United States and the ancient city of Palmyra in Syria.
The U.S. was among the founding members of UNESCO in 1945 but first withdrew from the agency in 1984, citing financial mismanagement and what it saw as an anti-Israel stance. It rejoined nearly two decades later—in 2003 under President George W. Bush, who said at the time that UNESCO had undertaken necessary reforms.
Today, the U.S. contributes about 8% of UNESCO’s budget—down from the 20% it covered before Trump’s initial withdrawal.