The United States on Tuesday announced its decision to withdraw from the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, citing concerns about “anti-Israel rhetoric” and the promotion of “divisive” agendas.

President Donald Trump had pulled out of the organisation in 2017 as well during his first term, a decision that his successor Joe Biden had reversed.

US Department of State Spokesperson Tammy Bruce said on Tuesday that Washington’s continued involvement in UNESCO was “not in the national interest” of the country.

UNESCO is a body of the United Nations that promotes world peace through international cooperation in culture, arts, education and sciences.

Bruce accused the organisation of advancing “divisive social and cultural causes”.

“UNESCO…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,” she said.

The spokesperson also criticised the body’s 2011 decision to admit Palestine as a member state, calling it “highly problematic” and a contributor to “anti-Israel rhetoric within the organisation”.

Washington is an ally of Israel and acts as a guarantor of the country’s security. Both the US and Israel had stopped financing UNESCO after it voted to include Palestine as a member state.

In a social media post, Bruce said that “going forward, US participation in international organisations must make America safer, stronger, and more prosperous”.

The decision will take effect at the end of December 2026, her statement added.

This is the third time US has pulled out of UNESCO.

The country first withdrew from UNESCO in 1984 under President Ronald Reagan’s administration, citing the international body’s mismanagement, corruption, and advancement of Soviet Union interests. The US rejoined the organisation in 2003.

UNESCO says withdrawal was ‘anticipated’

Responding to Washington’s announcement, UNESCO Director-General Audrey Azoulay said that she “deeply regretted” Trump’s decision to once again withdraw from the international body.

“This decision contradicts the fundamental principles of multilateralism, and may affect first and foremost our many partners in the United States of America,” she said.

Azoulay said that the announcement, although regrettable, was anticipated and added that UNESCO had prepared for it.

The organisation had undertaken major structural reforms and diversified its funding sources since 2018, she added.

“UNESCO’s overall budget has steadily increased,” she said, adding that the US now accounts for just 8% of its funding, compared to 40% for some other UN bodies.

She added that the organisation is now better protected in financial terms due to support from other member states and private donors.

The purpose of the international body is to welcome all the nations of the world, and the US is and will always be welcome, Azoulay said.

“We will continue to work hand in hand with all of our American partners in the private sector, academia and non-profit organisations, and will pursue political dialogue with the US administration and Congress,” her statement added.