What to know about UNESCO, the UN organization Trump is pulling the U.S. from
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Flags from several countries float in front of the headquarters of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization on October 11, 2017 in Paris, France. Photo: Chesnot/Getty Images
President Trump's decision to withdraw from the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization is not a surprise — but it marks yet another drop in Washington's roller-coaster relationship with the agency.
The big picture: The move mirrors the president's first term, when the U.S. departed UNESCO over alleged anti-Israel bias, and deepens the administration's broader retreat from multilateral bodies deemed hostile or ineffective.
- Trump has also ordered withdrawals from other international organizations, such as the World Health Organization and the UN Human Rights Council.
Driving the news: Just around two years after the U.S. rejoined the organization under former President Biden, the Trump administration will again depart from the agency.
- White House spokesperson Anna Kelly said in a statement that the organization "supports woke, divisive cultural and social causes that are totally out-of-step with the commonsense policies that Americans voted for in November."
- Trump in February ordered a 90-day review of the country's participation in UNESCO to evaluate "how and if UNESCO supports United States interests" and "any anti-Semitism or anti-Israel sentiment within the organization."
State of play: The withdrawal will take effect on December 31, 2026, per the State Department.
Here's what to know about the organization and its history with the U.S.:
Why was UNESCO created?
Flashback: The agency, per its website, was formed in the wake of World War II and is dedicated to "strengthening our shared humanity through the promotion of education, science, culture, and communication."
- Its Constitution opens with the words, "That since wars begin in the minds of men, it is in the minds of men that the defences of peace must be constructed."
- The U.S. joined UNESCO at its founding, per an archived State Department page, with the first American member of UNESCO's governing board writing the aforementioned preamble.
Who is part of UNESCO?
By the numbers: The organization's website states that it currently has over 190 members and a dozen associate members.
What does UNESCO do?
The organization's work touches a wide variety of causes, from safeguarding biodiversity and heritage to advancing education access.
Zoom in: One of its most prominent projects is the World Heritage List, which includes more than 1,200 properties deemed by the World Heritage Committee to have "outstanding universal value."
- Countries that adhere to the World Heritage Convention agree to identify and nominate properties on their territory to be considered for the list and provide details about its protection and upkeep.
- It also keeps lists of "intangible cultural heritage" that include things like "Equestrian art in Portugal" and "Artisanal know-how and culture of baguette bread."
The latest: Earlier this month, the committee inscribed 26 new cultural and natural properties on the list, including palaces, tombs, caves and rainforests.
- Three sites were removed from the List of World Heritage in Danger, which UNESCO Director-General Audrey Azoulay described as a "great victory for all."
Zoom out: Education is also paramount to UNESCO's mission. Per its website, the organization is the "only United Nations agency with a mandate to cover all aspects of education."
- The organization says it "actively helped to frame" the Education 2030 agenda for quality education access as part of the broader Sustainable Development Goals.
What is the history of U.S. participation in UNESCO?
While the U.S. accepted the body's Constitution some eight decades ago, the relations between Washington and the organization have been rocky across some five decades.
- In the 1970s, Congress suspended UNESCO appropriations after the organization excluded Israel from a regional group, saying it had altered Jerusalem's historical features.
- Under the Reagan administration, the U.S. departed from UNESCO, which Washington accused of mismanagement and of politicizing issues. It rejoined under former President George W. Bush.
- In 2011, Washington stopped financing UNESCO after it voted to admit Palestine as a full member. That resulted in the U.S. owing the organization hundreds of millions in arrears.
- In 2017, the Trump administration announced its intent to withdraw from the organization, citing anti-Israel bias. Under the Biden administration, the U.S. again rejoined due to concerns of rising Chinese influence.
Go deeper: Trump's soft-power retreat scrambles U.S.-China race
