President Donald Trump has decided to pull the United States out of the United Nations 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, Reuters reported. The withdrawal from the Paris-based agency, which was founded after World War Two to promote peace through international cooperation in education, science, and culture, will take effect at the end of next year. ALSO READ: Rwanda’s ‘Intore’ dance recognized as UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage UNESCO Director General Audrey Azoulay said Trump's decision contradicts the fundamental principles of multilateralism, adding that it may affect many partners in the United States of America, such as communities seeking site inscription on the World Heritage List, Creative City status, and University Chairs. The move is in line with the Trump administration's broader America-first foreign policy, which includes a deep skepticism of multilateral groups, including the United Nations, the World Trade Organization, 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 U.S. policy, and contributed to the proliferation of anti-Israel rhetoric. Azoulay said she deeply regretted Trump's decision, but it was expected, and UNESCO has prepared for it. She said UNESCO had diversified funding sources, receiving only about 8% of its budget from Washington. UNESCO was one of several international bodies Trump withdrew from during his first term, along with the World Health Organization, the Paris Agreement climate change accord, and the U.N. Human Rights Council. During his second term, he has largely reinstated those steps.
