The United States has formally notified Director-General Audrey Azoulay of its decision to withdraw from the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO.)
“Continued involvement in UNESCO is not in the national interest of the United States,” the U.S. State Department stated on July 22, 2025. The announcement cited concerns that the agency promotes “divisive social and cultural causes” and places “an outsized focus on the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals, a globalist, ideological agenda for international development at odds with our America First foreign policy.”
The statement also criticized UNESCO’s decision to admit the “State of Palestine” as a Member State, calling it “highly problematic, contrary to U.S. policy, and contribut[ing] to the proliferation of anti-Israel rhetoric within the organization.”
It added that future U.S. engagement with international organizations will prioritize “advancing American interests with clarity and conviction.”
Advertisement
In accordance with Article II(6) of the UNESCO Constitution, the U.S. withdrawal will take effect on December 31, 2026. Until then, the United States will continue to be a full member of the organization.
