UNESCO works to advance divisive social and cultural causes are at odds with our America First foreign policy
The United States has announced it will withdraw from the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), marking its fourth exit from a UN agency in just seven months. The State Department said the decision, effective December 31, 2026, reflects that “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.” Tammy Bruce, the department’s spokesperson, added that admitting the “State of Palestine” as a member in 2011 has “contributed to the proliferation of anti‑Israel rhetoric.”
UNESCO Director‑General Audrey Azoulay responded: “I deeply regret President Donald Trump’s decision however regrettable, this announcement was anticipated, and UNESCO has prepared for it,” denying any anti‑Israel bias. Israel’s UN ambassador, Danny Danon, called the exit “a fitting response to the consistent misguided anti‑Israel bias of UNESCO.” With U.S. contributions now 8 % of UNESCO’s budget, officials say the agency will adjust without layoffs.