US to leave UN cultural body, citing 'national interest'
The United States said Tuesday it would quit UNESCO, saying the UN cultural and education agency, best known for establishing world heritage sites, is biased and promotes 'divisive' causes.
"Continued involvement in UNESCO is not in the national interest of the United States,' State Department spokesperson Tammy Bruce said.
UNESCO called the US departure -- which it said will take effect in December 2026 -- regrettable, but unsurprising, and said its financial impact would be limited.
President Donald Trump had already ordered withdrawal from the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization once before, in 2017 during his first term. President Joe Biden then reestablished US membership.
'I deeply regret President Donald Trump's decision to once again withdraw the United States of America from UNESCO," Director-General Audrey Azoulay said, adding the move contradicted fundamental principles of multilateralism.
The US share of UNESCO's total budget currently stands at eight percent, she added.
The UN organisation describes its mission as promoting education, scientific cooperation and cultural understanding. It oversees a list of heritage sites aimed at preserving unique environmental and architectural gems, ranging from Australia's Great Barrier Reef and the Serengeti in Tanzania to the Athens Acropolis and Pyramids of Egypt.
Trump was not the first to pull the United States out of UNESCO.
President Ronald Reagan ended US membership in the 1980s, saying the agency was corrupt and pro-Soviet. The United States reentered under the presidency of George W. Bush.
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