The U.S. government has withdrawn from UNESCO, with the State Department arguing involvement with the United Nations agency is "not in the national interest" — especially given UNESCO’s "outsized focus" on the Sustainable Development Goals.
"UNESCO works to advance divisive social and cultural causes and maintains an outsized focus on the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals, a globalist, ideological agenda for international development at odds with our America First foreign policy," said Tammy Bruce, the State Department's spokesperson, in a statement on Tuesday.
UNESCO — the U.N. Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization — focuses on promoting peace through education, arts, sciences, and culture. It's best known for designating world heritage sites, from Yellowstone National Park in the U.S. to Victoria Falls in Zambia. And though the U.S. was a founding member of UNESCO in 1945, the country has withdrawn three times since: once under former Republican President Ronald Reagan, and again during President Donald Trump's first, and now second, terms.
About the author
Elissa Miolene
Elissa Miolene reports on USAID and the U.S. government at Devex. She previously covered education at The San Jose Mercury News, and has written for outlets like The Wall Street Journal, San Francisco Chronicle, Washingtonian magazine, among others. Before shifting to journalism, Elissa led communications for humanitarian agencies in the United States, East Africa, and South Asia.
