Trump Admin Pulls Out of UNESCO — Cites ‘Highly Problematic’ Inclusion of Palestine as Member State
A man enters the UNESCO headquarters Tuesday, July 22, 2025 in Paris. (AP Photo/Thomas Padilla)
President Donald Trump’s administration on Tuesday announced its decision to withdraw from the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization.
In the statement posted Tuesday, State Department spokesperson Tammy Bruce claimed that the U.S.’s “continued involvement in UNESCO is not in the national interest of the United States.” She also cited UNESCO including Palestine as a member state as one of America’s primary issues with the organizations.
The statement continued:
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. 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.
Continued U.S. participation in international organizations will focus on advancing American interests with clarity and conviction.
Pursuant to Article II(6) of the UNESCO Constitution, U.S. withdrawal will take effect on December 31, 2026. The United States will remain a full member of UNESCO until that time.
In her own statement, UNESCO Director-General Audrey Azoulay revealed the organization has been preparing for the move.
“I deeply regret President Donald Trump’s decision to once again withdraw the United States of America from UNESCO – a decision that will take effect at the end of December 2026,” she said.
“This decision contradicts the fundamental principles of multilateralism, and may affect first and foremost our many partners in the United States of America — communities seeking site inscription on the World Heritage List, Creative City status, and University Chairs,” she continued. “However regrettable, this announcement was anticipated, and UNESCO has prepared for it.”
Azoulay added that UNESCO has been working to diversify its funding sources since 2018. At the time of writing, the U.S. accounted for 8% of its funding.
Watch above via C-SPAN.
