The United States will again pull out of the U.N.'s educational, scientific and cultural agency because of what Washington sees as its anti-Israel bias, only two years after rejoining.
This will be the third time that the United States leaves UNESCO and the second time during a Trump administration.
President Donald Trump had already pulled out during his first term and the United States returned after a five-year absence after the Biden administration applied to rejoin the organization.
The decision will take effect at the end of December 2026.
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.
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.
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% of UNESCO's total budget, down from about 20% at the time Trump first pulled the United States out of the agency.
