Washington, MINA – The United States has announced its withdrawal from the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) over allegations of anti-Israel bias.
According to a report from rt. com, in February, President Donald Trump ordered a 90-day review by the State Department regarding US involvement in UNESCO’s programs.
The move is part of a broader push to disengage from UN bodies that officials say act contrary to American interests, undermine US allies, and “promote anti Semitism.”
Trump’s decision to exit the agency followed findings that UNESCO was “advancing divisive social and cultural agendas,” according to a statement from the State Department on Tuesday.
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The State Department also cited UNESCO’s recognition of the State of Palestine and the organization’s “spreading of anti-Israel rhetoric” as reasons for the withdrawal.
UNESCO Director-General Audrey Azoulay called the decision regrettable, though not unexpected. She emphasized the organization’s role in Holocaust education and the fight against anti-Semitism.
This is not the first time the US has withdrawn from UNESCO. President Ronald Reagan pulled the US out in 1984, citing financial mismanagement and claims that the agency’s policies undermined the free market in favor of a so-called Third World agenda. That decision was reversed by President George W. Bush in 2002 as the US sought global support for the Iraq invasion.
Trump once again withdrew from the agency during his first term. However, President Joe Biden rejoined UNESCO in 2023. [Nia]
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