PARIS/WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump has decided to pull the United States out of the "woke" and "divisive" UN culture and education agency Unesco, the White House said on Tuesday (July 22), repeating a move he took in his first term that was reversed by Joe Biden.

The withdrawal from the Paris-based agency, which was founded after World War Two to promote peace through international co-operation in education, science, and culture, will take effect at the end of next year.

The move is in line with the Trump administration's broader "America-first" foreign policy, which includes a deep scepticism of multilateral groups, including the United Nations, the World Trade Organisation, and the Nato alliance.

White House spokeswoman Anna Kelly said Unesco "supports woke, divisive cultural and social causes that are totally out-of-step with the commonsense policies that Americans voted for."

The State Department accused Unesco of supporting "a globalist, ideological agenda for international development at odds with our America First foreign policy".

It said its decision to admit the Palestinians as a member state was "highly problematic, contrary to US policy, and contributed to the proliferation of anti-Israel rhetoric."

Unesco chief Audrey Azoulay said she deeply regretted Trump's decision, but it was "expected, and Unesco has prepared for it."

Posting on X, French President Emmanuel Macron professed "unwavering support" for the "universal protector" of world heritage and said the US move would not weaken France's commitment to Unesco.

Unesco officials said the US withdrawal would have some limited impact on US-financed programmes.

Azoulay said Unesco had diversified funding sources, receiving only about eight per cent of its budget from Washington.

Unesco was one of several international bodies Trump withdrew from during his first term, along with the World Health Organisation, the Paris Agreement climate change accord, and the UN Human Rights Council. During his second term, he has largely reinstated those steps.

Trump's pick to be his UN envoy, Mike Waltz, said this month the United Nations needs reform while expressing confidence that "we can make the UN great again."

Israel praises US 'moral support and leadership'

Israel welcomed the US decision with its UN ambassador, Danny Danon, accusing Unesco of "consistent misguided anti-Israel bias."

In a post on X, Israel's Foreign Minister Gideon Sa'ar, thanked Washington for its "moral support and leadership" and said that "Singling out Israel and politicisation by member states must end, in this and all professional UN agencies."

US Senator Jeanne Shaheen, the senior Democrat on the Republican-controlled Senate Foreign Relations Committee, called Trump's decision "short-sighted and a win for China," which she said became the largest financial contributor to Unesco after Trump last withdrew from the agency.

Unesco officials said all relevant agency statements had been agreed with both Israel and the Palestinians over the past eight years.

Azoulay said the US had given the same reasons for its pullout as it had seven years ago "even though the situation has changed profoundly, political tensions have receded, and Unesco today constitutes a rare forum for consensus on concrete and action-oriented multilateralism."

"These claims also contradict the reality of Unesco's efforts, particularly in the field of Holocaust education and the fight against antisemitism," she added.

The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation is best known for designating World Heritage Sites, including the US Grand Canyon and Egypt's pyramids.

It lists 26 sites in the United States, including the Statue of Liberty, on its World Heritage List which highlights 1,248 global locations of "outstanding universal value."

Washington has had a troubled relationship with Unesco over the years.

It was a founding member in 1945 but first withdrew in 1984 to protest alleged financial mismanagement and perceived anti-US bias during the Cold War.

It returned in 2003 under President George W. Bush, who said Unesco had undertaken needed reforms, but in 2011 the Obama administration announced it was stopping funding for the agency following its vote to grant the Palestinians full membership.

Trump's first administration announced in 2017 it was quitting after accusing Unesco of anti-Israeli bias, with Washington owing US$542 million (S$692 million) in dues, before former President Biden reversed the decision in 2023.

Source: Reuters