President Donald Trump announced the United States will withdraw from the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) for the second time, repeating a move from his first term that was reversed by President Joe Biden. The withdrawal from the Paris-based agency will take effect at the end of next year.
The decision aligns with the Trump administration's broader America-First foreign policy and its 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 pointed to UNESCO's decision to admit the Palestinians as a member state as "highly problematic, contrary to U.S. policy, and contributed to the proliferation of anti-Israel rhetoric."
As the U.S. steps back again, questions arise about the future of its engagement with global cultural and educational initiatives.
Reference(s):
Trump pulls U.S. out of UNESCO for second time. Reactions and reasons
cgtn.com
