In 2017, the Trump administration cut the United States’s ties with the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) completely for the first time since 1984. Then, the administration accused the international agency of holding anti-Israel bias for a multitude of reasons, including the naming of Hebron, as a “Palestinian city” and certified UNESCO site.
Now, the administration has announced its second leave from UNESCO after the United States returned to the agency under the Biden administration in 2023.
The reasons remain the same since the initial leave with White House spokesperson, Tammy Bruce citing that UNESCO’s work advances “divisive social and cultural causes” and that the agency’s “ideological agenda for international development is at odds with our America First foreign policy.”
UNESCO’s part in America
The agency aims to “promote cooperation” in areas including education, science, culture, and communication to “foster peace worldwide.” According to UNESCO, their main focuses include:
- Promoting quality education and science
- Building fair and inclusive societies
- Protecting heritage and fostering creativity
- Supporting information literacy
- Empowering equality
With 194 member states, including the United States as of current, It is also responsible for assigning World Heritage Sites, including America’s 26 UNESCO-designated sites. Ranging from National Parks to the Statue of Liberty, these sites are protected as part of an international treaty, and are generally recognized as belonging to everyone versus one, sovereign state.
“Unwoke-ifying” education, science, and culture
The White House’s press release cites UNESCO’s decision to recognize and admit the “State of Palestine” as a member in 2011, as a major part of what they see as “anti-Israel rhetoric”.
In response to the Trump administration’s claims, UNESCO released a statement saying that these claims widely “contradict the reality of UNESCO’s efforts, particularly in the field of Holocaust education and the fight against antisemitism.”
In the statement, Audrey Azoulay, Director-General of UNESCO says this news doesn’t come as a shock as a “shock”, and that ultimately, they’ve been preparing for the U.S.’s expected leave.
In February, Trump issued an executive order requiring the review of any organizations providing international support that received U.S. funding.
This is the third official UN agency the U.S. has withdrawn from since Trump’s second inauguration, including the World Health Organization in January and the Human Rights Council in February. Each one, with the administration attributing the cuts to efficiency concerns and anti-American, woke culture.
The effect on cutting costs
As of 2023, the U.S. promised to pay roughly $600 million in back dues”, as prior to the first leave of the agency, the country contributed to roughly 22% of their funding.
“In recent years, we have undertaken major structural reforms and diversified our funding sources,” Azoulay said. “Thanks to the efforts made by the Organization since 2018, the decreasing trend in the financial contribution of the US has been offset, so that it now represents 8% of the Organization’s total budget compared to 40% for some United Nations entities; while at the same time, UNESCO’s overall budget has steadily increased.”
The agency says “voluntary contributions” have doubled since 2018, and that ultimately, the decision to leave the agency will result in difficulties for American communities “seeking site inscription on the World Heritage List, gaining Creative City status, and working with University Chairs program”.
However, the Paris-based agency does not expect layoffs at this time, and says they will continue to work with private American partners including those in the academic and non-profit spaces.
“UNESCO’s purpose is to welcome all the nations of the world,” Azoulay wrote. “And the United States of America is and will always be welcome.”