
Trump administration says the US will leave the UN cultural agency UNESCO
The decision to leave the agency, announced on Tuesday, is to take effect in December 2026. list of 3 items list 1 of 3 list 2 of 3 list 3 of 3 end of list
In a statement, State Department spokesperson Tammy Bruce argued that membership in UNESCO was not in the US's 'national interest' and called the agency's mission 'divisive'.
She then pointed to several points of discord, including Palestine's participation in UNESCO and alleged 'anti-Israel' sentiment in its ranks. Palestine has been a member since 2011, but the US does not recognise it as a sovereign state.
'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.
Bruce also denounced UNESCO's commitment to the UN's Sustainable Development Goals, which include calls to reduce poverty, increase gender equity and fight climate change. Those goals, she said, were evidence of 'a globalist, ideological agenda'.
This is the second time that Trump has withdrawn the US from UNESCO.
In 2018, during his first term, the US likewise left the agency. Then, as now, the Trump administration cited alleged bias against Israel as a motivation.
In 2023, under then-President Joe Biden, the US rejoined UNESCO. But since taking office for a second term in January, Trump has sought to peel back Biden-era initiatives and limit US support for several international organisations.
Already, he has withdrawn US support for the World Health Organization (WHO), and in February, he issued an executive order that severed funding for the UN Human Rights Council, accusing it of protecting 'human rights abusers'.
That same order announced a review of US membership in UNESCO, to be completed in 90 days, with an emphasis on whether the agency had engaged in 'anti-Semitism or anti-Israel sentiment'.
Trump has pursued an 'America First' agenda in his second term, and White House spokesperson Anna Kelly framed the latest withdrawal from UNESCO as advancing that cause.
'President Trump has decided to withdraw from UNESCO – which supports woke, divisive cultural and social causes,' Kelly wrote on social media.
'The President will always put America First. Our membership in all international organizations must align with our national interests.'
The foreign minister of Israel, Gideon Saar, responded on social media that the US decision to exit UNESCO was yet another indication that his country has been treated unfairly on the international stage.
'This is a necessary step, designed to promote justice and Israel's right for fair treatment in the UN system, a right which has often been trampled due to politicization in this arena,' Saar wrote. 'Singling out Israel and politicization by member states must end, in this and all professional UN agencies.'
He thanked the US for its 'moral support and leadership' and called on the UN to undertake 'fundamental reforms'.
But UNESCO disputed the accusation that it had treated any of its members unfairly.
'UNESCO's purpose is to welcome all the nations of the world, and the United States of America is and always will be welcome,' UNESCO Director General Audrey Azoulay said.
She added that the US government's decision to withdraw was not unexpected — but that Trump's decision would not end UNESCO's engagement with other organisations in the US.
'We will continue to work hand in hand with all our American partners in the private sector, academia and non-profit organizations, and will pursue our political dialogue with the US administration and Congress,' Azoulay said.
She estimated that only about 8 percent of the agency's budget relies on the US. Staff cuts are not anticipated as a result of the US withdrawal.
The US has acted as Israel's primary diplomatic defender for decades, exerting pressure on international bodies that it perceives as critical towards its Middle East ally.
But the US itself has faced heightened scrutiny for that support since the start of Israel's war in Gaza in October 2023.
That war has killed more than 59,000 Palestinians, and UN experts have called Israel's tactics 'consistent with genocide'.
Israel's continued blockade of essential supplies into Gaza has prompted fears of famine among UN leaders as well.
'We do not need to wait for a declaration of famine in Gaza to know that people are already starving, sick and dying, while food and medicines are minutes away across the border,' Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, the director general of the World Health Organization, said in May.
In a 24-hour span on Tuesday, Palestinian health officials estimated that 15 people have died of starvation, among them an infant.
But the US has been unwavering in its support of the Israeli military campaign in Gaza, despite ongoing humanitarian concerns.
Last month, the Trump administration announced sanctions targeting judges on the International Criminal Court who were involved in probes that investigated possible abuses by Israeli and US forces. The US also sanctioned Francesca Albanese, the UN special rapporteur on the occupied Palestinian territories, in July.
Source: Al Jazeera and news agencies
Hashtags

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


Qatar Tribune
27 minutes ago
- Qatar Tribune
EU sees progress towards US trade deal with 15% tariffs
Agencies Brussels Brussels is close to agreeing a trade deal with the US that will slap 15 percent tariffs on EU imports to America, diplomatic sources have told the Telegraph. If approved, the deal will essentially halve the 30pc tariffs threatened by Donald Trump to enter into force on August 1. The agreement is similar to a pact struck between the US and Japan inrecent weeks. 'The current state of play on the table is a 15 percent base tariff,' a diplomat said after EU member states were briefed on the talks by theCommission. The diplomat said the decision would essentially come down to approval from Donald Trump. A source close to the US administration said the White House was considering the proposal. Some EU member states are pushing for the bloc to prepare to punish the US if the proposals are rejected. France used the 'Coreper' meeting of national ambassadors to call for the immediate introduction of the bloc's much-vaunted 'trade bazooka', which allows the Commission to legally fight back with retaliatory tariffs. Germany also appealed for the system to be prepared if the EU and US fail to hammer out a deal to end their minitrade war. 'Regarding countermeasures, the Commission explained the merging of the first and second lists: the total will come at a value of €93 billion, with tariffs up to 30 percent to mirror US,' the diplomat said. German carmakers will be able to cope if Donald Trump imposes 15 percent tariffs on their exports, a leading economist has said. Andrew Kenningham, chief Europe economist at Capital Economics, said: 'German auto manufacturers will be relieved if it is confirmed that the sector will face tariffs of 'only' 15pc rather than 25pc. 'While this will still dampen German exports it is unlikely to be a knock-out blow to the sector. 'Meanwhile, reports suggest that aircraft, medical equipment and spirits may be exempt. Together these sectors account for only 8 percent of total EU exports to the US so do not shift the dial much at a macroeconomic level. We don't think the reported deal will have a major influence on the outlook formonetary policy. 'At tomorrow's ECB press conference, President Lagarde won't get carried away, and not just because the deal is not yet over the line. 'While the agreement would avoid a damaging escalation of trade barriers, it would be slightly worse for the economy than the assumptions underlying the ECB's baseline forecasts published in June.' Meanwhile, European stocks climbed on Wednesday, boosted by hopes of further progress in trade talks after the US struck a deal with Japan. The FTSE 100 index closed 0.4pc, at 9,061.49, a record closing peak. It had earlier hit a record high of 9,080.09. The FTSE 250 closed up 0.4pc, at 22,013.49, and the AIM All-Share closed up 0.5pc, at 773.99. In Europe, the Cac 40 in Paris advanced 1.5pc, while the Dax 40 in Frankfurtgained 0.8 percent. Wall Street's main indexes have moved higher after the Financial Times reported that the US and the European Union are closing in on a 15 percent tariff deal. Compared to the start of trading this afternoon, the Dow Jones Industrial Average is up 0.9 percent, the S&P 500 is up 0.6 percent and the Nasdaq is up 0.2 percent . Eurozone government bond yields are mixed this afternoon, as investors weigh what Japan's trade deal with Washington means for hopes of further agreements. Germany's 10-year government bond yield, the euro area's benchmark, rose to 2.605 percent, from 2.592 percent. Germany's 2-year government bond yield – more sensitive to expectations for European Central Bank policy rates – was little changed at 1.822pc. On Thursday, the European Central Bank is expected to keep interest rates on hold, while awaiting a possible trade deal between Washington and Brussels. Meanwhile, analysts are trying to assess the rate outlook amid geopolitical and economic uncertainties. 'There are downside risks (for the economy and the rate outlook) from trade tensions, but Europe will also be spending a lot on defence and infrastructure,' said Bas van Geffen, a strategist at RaboBank. 'There will be more inflationary pressure from that side. Meanwhile, we are still seeing some wage pressure in Europe.'


Qatar Tribune
31 minutes ago
- Qatar Tribune
EU readies retaliation on US goods as tariff hike looms
Agencies The European Commission is preparing to propose counter-tariffs on 93 billion euros ($109 billion) worth of U.S. goods for approval by EU member states should talks with Washington fail, as its trade chief is due to hold talks with U.S. Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick. The commission said on Wednesday its primary focus was to achieve a negotiated outcome to avert 30% U.S. tariffs that President Donald Trump has said he will impose on the 27-nation bloc on Aug. 1. European Trade Commissioner Maros Sefcovic will speak with Lutnick from Brussels on Wednesday afternoon, the commission said, before its officials brief EU ambassadors on the state of commission said it would, in parallel, press on with potential countermeasures. It said it would merge its two sets of possible tariffs of 21 billion euros and 72 billion euros into a single list. It added that it would submit this to EU members for approval. No countermeasures would enter force until Aug. 7. So far, the EU has not imposed any countermeasures, agreeing to, but then immediately suspending, the first set in April. Germany supports the EU's readying countermeasures, a government representative commission may be buoyed by the initial deal struck between the United States and Japan. European shares climbed about 1%, led by automobile stocks, after Trump revived hopes for a trade deal with the EU following the U.S. agreement with Japan, which includes a 15% baseline rate. One stand-out feature of the deal was that the same rate applies to cars, against the current U.S. tariff of 25%, something the EU may want for its similar level of auto exports. In 2024, the U.S. imported more than $55 billion of vehicles and automotive parts from Japan. From the EU, the equivalent figure was 47.3 billion euros, with far fewer U.S. models sold into the EU or Japanese market. EU officials say Washington has shown little sign of budging over car tariffs, but the Japan deal could point the way.


Al Jazeera
an hour ago
- Al Jazeera
Trump admin leans into unsubstantiated claims Obama committed ‘treason'
The administration of United States President Donald Trump has again pushed unsubstantiated claims that former President Barack Obama committed treason by falsely tying him to Russian efforts to interfere in the 2016 election. Speaking at the White House on Wednesday, Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard said that Obama and key allies had misled the public and manipulated intelligence to undermine Trump. Asked if she believed Obama had committed treason, Gabbard said it was up to the Department of Justice to bring criminal charges, but said that the actions of Obama and his allies could 'only be described as a years-long coup and a treasonous conspiracy against the American people, our republic, and an effort to undermine President Trump's administration'. Trump has frequently pushed baseless claims about his political rivals and threatened them with persecution. He has also remained fixated on past grievances, promoting allegations that he has been undermined by murky forces and repeating the false claim that he was the true winner of the 2020 election. His administration has recently come under increased pressure from members of his own right-wing base, some of whom have been disappointed with his administration's handling of information about disgraced financier and sex trafficker Jeffrey Epstein. Trump has said that he wants Obama, who served as president before Trump's first term in office, to face 'accountability'. 'It's there; he's guilty. This was treason,' Trump said on Tuesday, pushing accusations widely denounced as baseless. 'They tried to steal the election, they tried to obfuscate the election. They did things that nobody's ever imagined, even in other countries.' Asked about those comments on Wednesday, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt did not specify what actions Trump would like to see. 'It's in the Department of Justice's hands and we trust them to move the ball forward,' she said. During her remarks on Wednesday, Gabbard also named several figures from the Obama administration, including former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, former FBI Director James Comey, and former CIA Director John Brennan. A spokesperson for Obama has previously said that Trump's 'bizarre' claims of treason are 'ridiculous and a weak attempt at distraction'. Trump faced allegations of attempting to overturn his loss in 2020 through anti-democratic means after a mob of his supporters stormed the US Capitol on January 6, 2021, to prevent the certification of the election results based on false claims pushed by Trump that the election had been 'stolen' through massive fraud.