The Trump administration criticised UNESCO’s decision to admit the “State of Palestine” as a member, calling it “highly problematic” and contrary to US policy, and accused the organization of fostering anti-Israel rhetoric.

The Trump administration has announced that the United States will once again withdraw from the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), just two years after the country rejoined under President Biden.

UNESCO is widely known for its World Heritage program that recognizes sites of cultural or natural importance. On Tuesday, US State Department spokesperson Tammy Bruce said continued participation in UNESCO is “not in the national interest of the United States,” accusing the agency of promoting “divisive social and cultural causes.”

UNESCO Director-General Audrey Azoulay called the decision disappointing but not unexpected. She confirmed the withdrawal will take effect at the end of 2026. “This decision contradicts the fundamental principles of multilateralism, and may affect first and foremost our many partners in the United States of America communities seeking site inscription on the World Heritage List, Creative City status, and University Chairs,” she said.

It currently has 194 member states and manages more than 1,200 World Heritage sites worldwide, including 26 in the US, such as the Statue of Liberty, Yosemite National Park, and Grand Canyon National Park. Sites on the World Heritage list are eligible for international funding to support preservation efforts.

Among the reasons cited for the withdrawal, Bruce pointed to UNESCO’s “outsized focus” on the UN’s sustainable development goals, including efforts to combat poverty and hunger, promote gender equality, and advance clean energy.

She criticised these goals as part of a “globalist, ideological agenda for international development at odds with our America First foreign policy.”

Bruce also highlighted the agency’s decision in 2011 to admit the state of Palestine as a member, calling it “highly problematic, contrary to US policy, and contributory to the proliferation of anti-Israel rhetoric within the organization.”

This marks the second time the Trump administration has pulled the US out of UNESCO, the first being in 2018 over similar concerns about bias against Israel.