US to leave UN's cultural body UNESCO again, citing bias against Israel

The US will leave UNESCO again by end-2026, citing "anti-Israel bias," just two years after rejoining under Biden, marking its third exit and second under a Trump administration

The United States (US) has announced that it will once again withdraw from the United Nations’ cultural body, UNESCO, just two years after rejoining.

 

This decision is said to be due to what Washington describes as a continuing “anti-Israel bias” within the organisation.

Third exit by US

This marks the third time that the US has chosen to exit UNESCO. It will also be the second time such a move is taking place under a Trump administration.

 

US President Donald Trump had already withdrawn from the agency during his previous term in office. The US later returned in 2023, after a five-year break, under former President Joe Biden’s leadership.

 

According to the announcement, the latest decision to exit UNESCO will come into effect at the end of December 2026.

US, Israel quit UNESCO in 2017

In 2017, the United States and Israel announced their decision to leave UNESCO, following Washington’s accusations of anti-Israel bias within the organisation.

 

The US State Department said that the decision to withdraw was based on several concerns. Soon after the US announcement, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu confirmed that Israel would also leave the agency, calling the US move "brave and moral." 

 

The US had already stopped its financial contributions to UNESCO in 2011, after the agency granted full membership to Palestine. At that time, only 14 out of 194 member states — including the US and Israel — voted against the move.

Biden rejoins global bodies after Trump exits

After becoming President in 2021, Joe Biden reversed many of the decisions made by his predecessor, Donald Trump, regarding international cooperation.

 

The Biden administration moved quickly to bring the US back into several global bodies by rejoining UNESCO, the World Health Organization, and the international climate agreement.

 

In 2023, the United States officially rejoined UNESCO, the United Nations' scientific, educational, and cultural agency, after being absent for five years.

 

The main reason for the US return to the Paris-based organisation was concern that China had taken advantage of the leadership gap left by the earlier US withdrawal during the Trump administration.

Renewed retreat under Trump's second term

During his first term, Trump made similar moves by withdrawing from the World Health Organization, the UN Human Rights Council, the international climate agreement, and the Iran nuclear deal.

 

With Trump back in the White House, the US is once again stepping away from international organisations. 

 

He has already moved to exit the WHO and cut funding to the Palestinian aid agency UNRWA, as part of an ongoing review of US involvement in UN bodies, expected to finish in August.

History of US participation

The US was one of the founding members of UNESCO in 1945. However, it withdrew from the agency for the first time in 1984, citing concerns over financial mismanagement and what it saw as anti-American bias.

 

The US returned nearly two decades later, in 2003, under President George W. Bush, who said UNESCO had made important reforms.

 

At one point, the United States contributed about 20 per cent of UNESCO’s overall budget. That figure has since dropped to around 8 per cent, especially after the US left the agency during the Trump administration.

UNESCO: Promoting global peace and cooperation

Based in Paris, UNESCO was established after World War II with the aim of encouraging peace by fostering international cooperation in education, science, and culture.

 

UNESCO is widely recognised for identifying and protecting World Heritage Sites around the world, such as the Grand Canyon in the United States and the ancient city of Palmyra in Syria.