Donald Trump is withdrawing America out of another international body in an attempt to pursue his “America first” foreign policy.
The USA will no longer be a member of the United Nations Education, Scientific and Cultural Organisation. It was set up after the Second World War to promote peace around the world.
It will take effect in December 2026.
The president has already withdrawn from the UN’s human rights council and vowed to remove America from the World Health Organisation.
White House deputy spokesperson Anna Kelly told reporters: “President Trump has decided to withdraw the United States from Unesco – which supports woke, divisive cultural and social causes that are totally out of step with the common sense policies that Americans voted for in November.”
A spokesperson for the US state department said: “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.”
French President Emmanuel Macron offered his “unwavering support” for UNESCO, calling the organisation a “universal guardian” for science and culture.
“The withdrawal of the United States will not weaken our commitment alongside those who lead this fight,” Macron wrote on X.
But Israeli Minister of Foreign Affairs Gideon Sa’ar backed Trump’s latest withdrawal, thanking the administration for “its moral support and leadership.”
“This is a necessary step, designed to promote justice and Israel’s right for fair treatment in the UN system, a right which has often been trampled due to politicization in this arena,” Sa’ar said in an X post.
“Like many UN organizations, UNESCO strayed from its founding mission,” State Department spokesperson Tammy Bruce said. “Going forward, U.S. participation in international organizations must make America safer, stronger, and more prosperous.”
Read more on Donald Trump here.