Trump pulls US out of UNESCO

Citing United Nations agency’s anti-American, anti-Israel and pro-China bias, Trump administration pulls US out of UNESCO – for the second time.

By David Rosenberg, World Israel News

The United States is set to withdraw from a prominent United Nations agency following the Trump administration’s criticism of the agency’s anti-American and anti-Israel bias.

Two separate reports published on Tuesday claimed that President Donald Trump has ordered the US to exit the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).

The New York Post cited White House deputy spokesperson Anna Kelly, who said the president called to cut ties with UNESCO over the agency’s embrace of “woke” and “divisive” causes.

“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 commonsense policies that Americans voted for in November,” Kelly said.

“This president will always put America First and ensure our country’s membership in all international organizations aligns with our national interests.”

Reuters cited two European diplomats who confirmed that the US is leaving UNESCO.

Founded in 1945 immediately after the Second World War, UNESCO was established to promote international educational, scientific, and cultural cooperation.

Despite its stated goal of strengthening international cultural ties, UNESCO has often drawn fire for its alleged progressive, anti-American, and anti-Israel stance.

This is not the first time the US has withdrawn from the agency amid accusations of anti-American bias.

In 1984, the Reagan administration pulled the US out of UNESCO, before President George W. Bush restored American involvement with the agency.

From 2011 on, the US ceased funding UNESCO, without formally withdrawing, after the agency accepted the Palestinian Authority as a member.

Nor is this the first time Trump has cut ties with UNESCO, having previously pulled the US out in 2018.

At the time, the US paid for 20% of UNESCO’s total budget.

Since the Biden administration brought the US back into UNESCO, however, the US has covered just 8% of the agency’s spending. However, the Biden administration agreed to pay an additional $600 million to cover past membership dues.

According to Kelly, the latest decision to bolt UNESCO was taken based on what the Trump administration dubbed the agency’s pro-Beijing tilt, its hostility toward Israel – including registering Jewish holy sites as “Palestinian World Heritage” sites, and its biased against the US.

Trump’s decision is set to go into effect this December.

Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar lauded Trump’s decision to pull the US out of UNESCO.

“We welcome the decision of the American administration to withdraw from UNESCO. This is a necessary step intended to promote justice and Israel’s right to fair treatment within the UN system—a right that has often been trampled due to politicization in this arena.”

“There must be an end to Israel’s isolation and the politicization by member states, both in this agency and in all UN agencies.”

“Israel thanks the United States for its moral support and leadership, especially in the multilateral arena, which is saturated with anti-Israel discrimination. The UN requires fundamental reforms in order to remain relevant.”

Israel is not currently a member of the UN agency, having withdrawn alongside the US in December 2018.