After US announces withdrawal from UNESCO, Macron vows 'unwavering support'

7 days ago

French President Emmanuel Macron, writing on X, said UNESCO had his 'unwavering support' and insisted that backing for the organisation would not waver after the American decision read more
French President Emmanuel Macron and US President Donald Trump meet at the White House in Washington, DC, US, February 24, 2025. (Photo: Reuters)
The United States said on Tuesday (July 22) it would withdraw from UNESCO, accusing the UN cultural and education agency of bias against Israel and pursuing a 'globalist, ideological agenda'.
'Continued involvement in UNESCO is not in the national interest of the United States,' said State Department spokeswoman Tammy Bruce, confirming that the withdrawal would take effect in December 2026.
Bruce criticised UNESCO for promoting 'divisive social and cultural causes' and prioritising the UN's sustainability goals, which she described as a 'globalist, ideological agenda'.
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She also cited UNESCO's 2011 decision to admit Palestine as a member state and its recognition of heritage sites in the West Bank and east Jerusalem as Palestinian as further reasons for the US departure.
'UNESCO's decision to admit the 'State of Palestine' as a member state is highly problematic, contrary to US policy, and contributed to the proliferation of anti-Israel rhetoric within the organisation,' Bruce said.
The announcement marks the second time Washington has turned its back on the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation under President Donald Trump. The US previously exited in 2017 during Trump's first term, before rejoining under President Joe Biden.
'I deeply regret President Donald Trump's decision to once again withdraw the United States of America from UNESCO,' said Director-General Audrey Azoulay, adding that the move contradicted 'fundamental principles of multilateralism'.
'However regrettable, this announcement was expected, and UNESCO has prepared for it,' she added.
Azoulay said the organisation had introduced 'major structural reforms' and diversified its funding sources in recent years, limiting the financial impact of the US exit. She noted that the US currently contributes only 8 per cent of UNESCO's budget, down from nearly 20 per cent a decade ago, according to a source within the agency.
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She added that Washington's claims 'contradict the reality of UNESCO's efforts', particularly its work on Holocaust education and combating antisemitism.
A UNESCO official who asked not to be named said the agency had already adapted to life without US funding after the 2017 exit, though additional resources would still be needed.
French President Emmanuel Macron, writing on X, said UNESCO had his 'unwavering support' and insisted that backing for the organisation would not waver after the American decision.
Unwavering support for UNESCO, a universal guardian of science, the Ocean, education, culture, and world heritage. The withdrawal of the United States will not weaken our commitment alongside those who lead this fight. — Emmanuel Macron (@EmmanuelMacron) July 22, 2025
Israeli foreign minister Gideon Sa'ar welcomed the US move. 'This is a necessary step, designed to promote justice and Israel's right for fair treatment in the UN system,' he posted on X.
UNESCO, known globally for designating world heritage sites, also works to promote education, scientific collaboration and cultural preservation. Its iconic heritage list includes locations such as the Great Barrier Reef, the Serengeti, the Acropolis and the Pyramids of Giza.
Despite the withdrawal, the US is expected to retain a seat on the World Heritage Committee, as it did during its previous absence.
With inputs from agencies

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India–Maldives ties: Time to look to the future, not the past

First Post

6 minutes ago

First Post

India–Maldives ties: Time to look to the future, not the past

Lately, President Muizzu has conceded Delhi as a loyal friend and is working closely with India for economic recovery, which is unlikely to happen without the Maldives helping itself read more President of the Maldives Mohamed Muizzu, right, shakes hand with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi after signing a memorandum of understanding between the two countries in Male, Maldives, Friday, July 25, 2025. (Indian Prime Ministers Office via AP) At the end of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's two-day visit to the Maldives, 25-26 July, Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri said it all in his post-talks news briefing. 'Together, the two sides were looking into the future, not the past,' he said. This was India's position even on a day-to-day basis when, as a freshly minted president, host Mohamed Muizzu bad-mouthed India as much as he could for any Maldivian leader on bilateral matters. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD The visit was rich in optics—yes. From a public diplomacy perspective, it matters the most in both nations, especially now. The content of the visit was no less positive but was not flashy, as some in India especially had expected. At the end of their talks, Muizzu conceded at a news conference that India was a 'supportive, loyal friend'. It had taken him months to realise it and acknowledge it in public. In retrospect, it is safe to conclude that in his first weeks as president, and during his presidential poll campaign earlier, he was misinformed and misled by those around him. Share of blame Yet, Muizzu cannot absolve himself of the blame, as he already had six long years of experience as a senior minister for the all-important infrastructure development sector during the successive presidencies of Mohammed Waheed and Abdulla Yameen. He spent five years through Yameen's full term in office, during which time he was not known to have even squirmed at the president's anti-democracy initiatives. When Yameen launched his 'India Out' campaign while in the Opposition, Muizzu was seen in those rallies, though not all of them. In turn, this made Muizzu suspect in ordinary Indian eyes, as New Delhi too had reasons to brand Yameen as 'anti-India', more than for his being 'pro-China' or anything else. It was based on Yameen's perceptions about India in the context of Maldivian domestic politics. This is one area where Muizzu too could still trip if he does not take the India element out of his domestic political calculations. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD This includes motivated domestic perceptions that India backs democratic forces in the archipelago, represented purportedly by the Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP), and that every other leader, including Muizzu, is an autocrat or despot. This domestic perception among all political players in the country is not supported by India's actions that are people-centric, not personality-centric. Greater legitimacy The Prime Minister was accompanied by a high-level team, which included External Affairs Minister (EAM) S Jaishankar, National Security Advisor (NSA) Ajit Doval, and Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri. This indicated the level of engagement that accompanied the visit. Incidentally, the presence of NSA Doval was a lesser-known fact for the media in the two countries, but that does not necessarily mean that there were 'secret talks' on the security front, as often assumed. For optics, you had Muizzu receiving the prime minister personally at the Male airport, accompanied later at the official reception with a 21-gun salute, both of them unprecedented, and Modi's presence as the chief guest at the 60th Independence Day of Maldives. It was also the 60th anniversary of bilateral diplomacy, as India was among the first nations to recognise the new Maldivian regime post-independence in 1965. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Locally, eyebrows were raised, yes, when President Muizzu addressed a joint rally of the Maldivian National Defence Force (MNDF) and the Maldivian Police Service (MPS) on the afternoon of Independence Day, when the Indian visitor was still in town. This was the first time an incumbent president was addressing the two together after then-President Maumoon Abdul Gayoom bifurcated the infamous National Security Service (NSS) in 2006, in the run-up to full democratisation through a new constitution and presidential elections in 2008. Looked at from a domestic angle, the Indian Prime Minister's visit, followed by that of Sri Lankan President Anura Kumara Dissanayake in double-quick succession (July 28-29), is not about his administration opening up to ever-supportive neighbours, which is the truth of the matter. Instead, the perception, starting from Camp Muizzu, is one of his acquiring international legitimacy after having stabilised his hold over domestic governance and politics, in that order. Third visitor, who? STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Given the brutal majority that his People's National Congress (PNC) enjoys in the 93-member Parliament, there was no need for Muizzu to get an 'undemocratic' anti-defection law passed without debate. Nor was there any justification for the government-controlled Judicial Service Commission (JSC) suspending first and sacking three Justices of the Supreme Court when the full, seven-judge bench was set to hear a petition challenging the anti-defection law. Yet, he did both and initiated more such moves that critics claimed were 'anti-democratic'. It is in this context that critics see Muizzu's eagerness to have more foreign visitors on invitation, to tell his world that the international community stood by him. Hence, there is also speculation, if not betting, on who the 'lucky' third one would be after Modi and Anura to receive Muizzu's invitation to visit his country. New Delhi may not have any direct interest, least of all influence, in Muizzu's choice of the next couple of overseas Heads of State and/or Government visiting Maldives on invitation. Yet, India would be watching it all from the ringside to have a clear perspective of Muizzu's foreign, security, and overseas economic policies—not necessarily in that order. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Will the next visitor be the Chinese Prime Minister, if not President Xi Jinping, or Turkey's President Recep Erdogan? After all, Muizzu had courted both nations in his early weeks in office, and possibly before his election, too, and from whose shoulders he was firing (their?) anti-India salvos, too, before seeing their true colours, and tucked his tail between his legs without losing time or initiative. Credit and more On the constructive side, India and Maldives signed a total of eight agreements during Modi's visit, all of them discussed and debated threadbare in-house in the two governments and between them. The list includes one on a $565 million Line of Credit (LoC) from India and another on pharmaceutical supplies. This, in a way, is acknowledgement of the Muizzu Government's failure to obtain 'quality medicines at affordable prices' from Europe without depending on a 'single source' (India), as he had thumbed his chest last year. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Before the pharma deal now, Muizzu had gone back on his muscle-flexing on commissioning annual supplies of essentials, including rice, sugar, and wheat flour, from distant Turkey, again to limit dependence on a 'single source'. It happened after the Houthis' attacks in the Red Sea provided a legitimate excuse for Erdogan to possibly go back on his purported promise during Muizzu's visit only weeks after assuming office in November 2023. In Male, PM Modi also inaugurated multiple India-funded projects and handed over the keys to owners under a housing scheme. In a city with the highest population density for a South Asian capital, urban housing is still politically and electorally sensitive. Balanced FTA Of equal importance is one setting the terms of reference for further discussions on a Free Trade Agreement (FTA) between India and Maldives. For now, Maldives especially has learnt a lot from the hurried FTA President Yameen signed with China in 2017 but whose implementation he and his successor, President Ibrahim 'Ibu' Solih, both did not take up. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Now, after implementing the China FTA since January 1 this year, Muizzu has found out that Maldives was losing scarce revenue, big time. Maldivians were spending dollars in big numbers, not only in conventional trade but also through online sales of Chinese goods, airlifted mostly out of Hong Kong. In recent months, this has affected small and medium traders in the country. They form a key electoral constituency. But then a 30 per cent service tax on specified online trade firms dealing in Chinese goods has not helped after the latter introduced equal discounts for their Maldivian customers. This would engage Indian negotiators as they work out the details of the Indian FTA in the coming weeks and months. They will also have another example in the Sri Lanka-Maldives FTA, which was signed during President Dissanayake's visit, post-Modi's. National dichotomy Maldives' woes owe to the nation living beyond its means. This has an indirect impact on national security and foreign policy that flows from over-dependence on external assistance. In the name of upholding national security and sovereignty viz the ever-helpful Indian neighbour, presidents like Yameen and Muizzu welcomed extra-regional powers, especially China. It only complicated the nation's security situation even more. They too silently acknowledged post facto that China had a larger scheme in which the Maldives was only a speck, and they could do nothing about it if sucked in more than ready. But domestic compulsions stood in the way of Yameen applying the correctives. With little choice after he found out that China, and also Turkey, did not match word with action, Muizzu at least is on a course correction viz India relations. Maldives' problems reside in the economic sphere. In a 500,000-population, half of whom are on the electoral list, first-time voters in their thousands are jobless. They tend to side with him who promises the moon. Frustration has already driven them to drugs, and the puritans among them tend to take to religious radicalisation—in the absence of any left political movement. Skill sets & FDI All these when available jobs, again in tens of thousands, are going to foreigners, mostly Bangladeshis but with a sizable sprinkling of Indians and some Sri Lankans, too. This is because local youth ambitions are not matched by skill sets that can attract big-ticket FDI in non-tourism sectors, too. Competitive populism is the bane. Every post-democracy president, including incumbent Muizzu, promised to set matters right but has been swept away by electoral compulsions. Going back to the days of 'elected autocracy' is not an option, but that is what successive post-democracy presidents have attempted in their own ways—but failed on both fronts. The people simply threw them out in favour of yet another untested individual, whose face was relatively fresh and whose promises looked beneficial. All of it often leads to situations wherein incumbent governments are tempted to fall back even more on external economic assistance, but in terms of 'competitive ideology', though none exists. Successful experience Muizzu is working closely with India for economic recovery that is unlikely to happen without Maldives helping itself. Given India's successful experience in pulling itself out of the fiscal/economic mess that it found itself in the early nineties, the Maldivian government, as a democracy, can also seek guidance in the matter, after downsizing them to Maldivian levels. In 2013, President Yameen's foreign policy document claimed that his government would make the nation economically strong to be able to have an 'independent foreign and security policy'. The reference was, of course, to India. He failed on the first count, so his government did not reach the second stage, despite his wooing China, as if the nation had a panacea for Maldives' ills. Muizzu began by placing himself in such a conundrum but has been quick to retrieve at least some of the lost ground. How he proceeds from here will decide the future for the Maldives and strategic peace for the region's nations, including India and Sri Lanka. That is where the Maldives' strategic reset should begin, where the Colombo Security Conclave (CSC) could provide a basis for defining/redefining the nation's priorities in the present and the future. Such an approach alone can help the Maldives and Muizzu to achieve what they intend to achieve on the domestic front. That is without them having to invite and/or facilitate complex competitive competition between superpower America and wannabe superpower China, both of whom do not belong here but want to be here through proxies. The writer is a Chennai-based Policy Analyst & Political Commentator. Views expressed in the above piece are personal and solely those of the author. They do not necessarily reflect Firstpost's views.

Zelensky's Drones Plunge 150,000 Into Darkness, Strike Homes & Railways; Kills Civilian In Car Blast

Time of India

20 minutes ago

Time of India

Zelensky's Drones Plunge 150,000 Into Darkness, Strike Homes & Railways; Kills Civilian In Car Blast

'Publicity Stunt': US Calls UN Israeli-Palestinian Peace Talks 'Unproductive And Ill-Timed' The Trump administration has strongly criticised the current UN conference on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict co-hosted by France and Saudi Arabia. The State Department called the event 'unproductive and ill-timed,' accusing it of prolonging the war and emboldening Hamas. Officials described the conference as a publicity stunt undermining delicate diplomatic efforts to achieve peace and free hostages. US Secretary of State Marco Rubio previously called such efforts a 'slap in the face' to the victims of the October 7 attack. Although the US is not participating in the conference, it reaffirmed its commitment to peace initiatives in the region. The statement also condemned French President Emmanuel Macron's recognition of a Palestinian state, which was welcomed by both Hamas and the Palestinian Authority. Criticism was notably absent for Saudi Arabia, reflecting the Trump administration's close ties with Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. While avoiding an official position on the two-state solution, Trump officials have avoided criticising recent Israeli policies challenging that framework. The focus remains on promoting peace while opposing gestures thought to hinder diplomatic progress.#IsraelPalestine #UNConference #TwoStateSolution #TrumpAdministration #MiddleEastPeace #HamasConflict #DiplomaticEfforts #Macron #SaudiArabia #PeaceProcess 671 views | 3 hours ago

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