US to leave UN cultural agency UNESCO again, diplomats say

The United States will leave the United Nations' culture and education agency UNESCO as President Donald Trump continues to pull his country out of international institutions he has long criticized, two European diplomats said.

The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment outside regular business hours.

The move is a blow to the Paris-based agency, founded after World War Two to promote peace through international cooperation in education, science, and culture. The New York Post also reported on the U.S. withdrawal, citing a White House official.

Trump took similar steps during his first term, quitting the World Health Organization, the U.N. Human Rights Council, a global climate change accord and the Iran nuclear deal.

Joe Biden reversed those decisions after taking office in 2021, returning the U.S. to UNESCO, the WHO and the climate agreement.

With Trump now back in the White House, the U.S. is once again pulling out of these global bodies. He has already decided to withdraw the U.S. from the WHO and halt funding to the Palestinian relief agency UNRWA as part of a review of the U.S.' participation in UN agencies, due to be concluded in August.

UNESCO is best known for designating World Heritage Sites, including the Grand Canyon in the United States and the ancient city of Palmyra in Syria.

The United States initially joined UNESCO at its founding in 1945 but withdrew for the first time in 1984 in protest against alleged financial mismanagement and perceived anti-U.S. bias, returning almost 20 years later in 2003 under President George W. Bush, who then said the agency had undertaken needed reforms.

UNESCO's full name is the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization.

The United States provides about 8 per cent of UNESCO's total budget, down from about 20% at the time Trump first pulled the United States out of the agency.