Against progressive ideas: the US announced its withdrawal from UNESCO

US President Donald Trump has decided to withdraw the country from UNESCO again, accusing the organization of promoting “progressive ideology,” “anti-Israel bias,” and Chinese influence. The White House said UNESCO had “stepped beyond common sense” and made the decision after an internal 90-day review of the UN agency’s performance.

This is reported by The New York Post.

The United States has officially announced its withdrawal from the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). President Donald Trump made the decision after a three-month review of the country’s participation in the organization, citing UNESCO’s “ideological bias.”

“UNESCO promotes progressive, divisive cultural and social ideas that are contrary to the values that Americans voted for in November,” said White House Deputy Press Secretary Anna Kelly.

Key US claims against UNESCO:

• Anti-Israeli and anti-Semitic biases, including: recognizing Jewish holy sites as part of Palestinian heritage and promoting anti-Israeli decisions through the UNESCO Executive Committee.
• Progressive initiatives include: the publication of a “toolkit to combat racism” (2023), which called for active participation in social justice policies, as well as the “Transforming the Male Mentality” program (2024), including a report on gender equality in video games.
• The increased influence of China, which is the second largest sponsor of UNESCO and has its citizens in leading positions in the organization’s structure.

It is worth adding that in February 2025, Trump initiated an internal 90-day audit of US participation in UNESCO, emphasizing the need to verify the ideological neutrality of the institution. After completing the analysis, the administration concluded that the organization systematically violates principles that are consistent with the current US government’s policy.

This is not the first time the US has withdrawn from UNESCO: the Trump administration already took a similar step in 2017, but in 2023 President Joe Biden returned the country to the structure with the condition of debt repayment. Now the US is changing the vector again.

Trump’s decision has sparked a new wave of debate about US participation in international organizations and their political neutrality.

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