The United States has formally notified the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) of its decision to withdraw from the agency, citing concerns over what it calls “divisive” cultural initiatives and the organisation’s admission of Palestine as a full member.

In a statement issued on Tuesday, the U.S. State Department confirmed that it had informed UNESCO Director-General Audrey Azoulay of the decision, which will take effect on December 31 2026. Until then, the United States will remain a full member of the Paris-based agency.

Read also: Over 251m children out of school globally – UNESCO report

“Continued involvement in UNESCO is not in the national interest of the United States,” the statement read. It criticised the organisation’s “outsized focus” on the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals, describing them as “a globalist, ideological agenda… at odds with our America First foreign policy.”

Tammy Bruce, the State Department spokesperson, accused UNESCO of “advancing divisive social and cultural causes” and promoting “anti-Israel rhetoric” following its 2011 decision to admit the “State of Palestine” as a member state — a move that triggered a longstanding rupture in U.S. support.

Read also: UNESCO, UK, RAD join forces to  to drive economic growth in West Africa

The decision echoes similar moves by the U.S. in the past. In 2011, the Obama administration halted funding to UNESCO after Palestine was granted full membership, in accordance with a U.S. law requiring cuts to UN bodies recognising Palestinian statehood. The funding cut deprived UNESCO of nearly 20% of its budget.

In 2017, under Donald Trump’s first term as U.S. president, Washington announced a complete withdrawal from the agency, citing alleged anti-Israel bias. That decision was reversed in 2023 by the Biden administration, which rejoined the body amid signs of organisational reform. Now, Trump’s administration has reinstated the earlier withdrawal order.

Read also: UNESCO’s next chapter: Spotlight on Firmin Edouard Matoko’s candidature for director-general

White House spokeswoman Anna Kelly reinforced the rationale on Tuesday, claiming that UNESCO “supports woke, divisive cultural and social causes that are totally out-of-step with the commonsense policies that Americans voted for.”

The decision has drawn a mixture of criticism and praise. UNESCO’s Director-General Audrey Azoulay expressed regret over the U.S. move, calling it expected but disappointing. “UNESCO today constitutes a rare forum for consensus on concrete and action-oriented multilateralism,” she said, adding that the agency’s work in Holocaust education and antisemitism contradicts the U.S. claims of anti-Israel bias.

French president Emmanuel Macron, posting on X (formerly Twitter), declared “unwavering support” for UNESCO, calling it a “universal protector” of global heritage. He stressed that the U.S. departure would not weaken France’s commitment to the organisation.

Israel, by contrast, welcomed the U.S. decision. Israeli foreign minister Gideon Sa’ar called it a stand against the “politicisation” of professional UN bodies and thanked Washington for its “moral support and leadership.” Israel’s UN ambassador, Danny Danon, accused UNESCO of a “consistent misguided anti-Israel bias.”

However, critics within the U.S. also voiced concern. Senator Jeanne Shaheen, the senior Democrat on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, described the withdrawal as “short-sighted and a win for China,” warning that the move would again allow Beijing to expand its influence in multilateral institutions. After the U.S. pulled out in 2017, China became UNESCO’s largest financial contributor.

Read also: AFRIMA partners BridgeAfric, UNESCO for Lagos global music workshop

The United States has had a long and often turbulent relationship with UNESCO. It first left the organisation in 1984 under Ronald Reagan, citing mismanagement and anti-U.S. bias, before rejoining in 2003 during George W. Bush’s presidency, who praised the body’s reforms. The most recent withdrawal underscores the persistent tensions over the role of multilateral institutions in U.S. foreign policy.

Founded in the aftermath of World War II, UNESCO promotes global cooperation in education, science, culture and communication, and is perhaps best known for designating World Heritage sites — over 1,200 to date. While U.S. officials downplayed the impact of the withdrawal, UNESCO confirmed that Washington currently contributes around 8% of its total budget.

Azoulay insisted that UNESCO had adapted over the years and that the same grievances offered by Washington today were “no longer reflective of reality.”

Despite the U.S. departure, she said the organisation would continue its mission: “fostering peace through dialogue, education, and shared cultural understanding — with or without one of its founding members.”