The United States has officially declared its planned withdrawal from the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).
UNESCO is a United Nations agency dedicated to fostering international cooperation in the realms of education, science, culture, and communication, all aimed at promoting global peace and security.
The organisation has 194 member states including the United States. In a press release, the US Department of State indicated that UNESCO does not adequately serve the national interests of the United States.
“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,” read the statement.
The bond between the United States and the United Nations has been deteriorating since Donald Trump assumed the presidency on January 20, 2025. In early June 2025, the United States vetoed a resolution from the UN Security Council that called for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza.
The Trump administration argued that the resolution failed to address the release of Israeli hostages and did not grant Israel's right to self-defense. Dr. Omar Suleiman, a scholar and activist based in the US, accused the United States of consistently prioritizing Israeli interests.
The statement explicitly noted that the admission of Palestine as a member of UNESCO contradicted the US 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,” the statement continued.
In late June 2025, the United States also conducted strikes on three Iranian nuclear facilities, an action that many analysts interpreted as siding with Israeli interests amid the conflict between Iran and Israel.
However, the US withdrawal is scheduled to take effect on December 31, 2026, according to Article II (6) of the UNESCO Constitution, which means that US membership will continue until then.
In 2023, the US wrote a letter to the Director-General of UNESCO, expressing a desire to reconsider its withdrawal and rejoin the organization.
The US government announced that it would settle its outstanding dues, which were estimated to be around $619 million.
Audrey Azoulay, the Director-General of UNESCO, stated that it was a significant occasion, noting that the US rejoining the organization represented a move towards universalism.
