Translated with AI
US President Donald Trump has decided to withdraw the United States from UNESCO due to the organization's "anti-American vector." This was reported by the White House, RBC reports.
White House Deputy Press Secretary Anna Kelly told The New York Post that the organization supports "controversial, divisive cultural and social goals" that are "completely at odds with common sense" and the policies of the current United States government.
The US administration disagrees with UNESCO's diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) policies and considers the organization biased due to "pro-Palestinian and pro-Chinese" sentiments, Kelly said.
Shortly after returning to the White House, Trump ordered a 90-day review of the advisability of continued participation in UNESCO. Specifically, the government was to assess “how and whether UNESCO supports the interests of the United States.” At the same time, he said that two other UN organizations deserved “close attention” — the Human Rights Council and the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA). In February, Trump signed an executive order withdrawing the United States from the UNHRC, which he had previously criticized for its “bias” toward Israel.
In 2017, during Trump’s first term, the United States also announced it was withdrawing from the UN cultural agency, citing its “long-standing anti-Israel bias.” Israel later joined Washington’s decision. In 2023, under Joe Biden, the United States rejoined UNESCO and paid off its membership dues.
Trump is not the first president to pull the United States out of UNESCO. Ronald Reagan did so in 1984 because of discrepancies between U.S. foreign policy and the organization’s goals. In 2003, after a nearly two-decade hiatus, the country rejoined the agency.
Currently, UNESCO unites 194 states and 12 associate members that are not subjects of international relations (Cayman Islands, Faroe Islands, etc.).
