1984: U.S. withdraws.
2003: U.S. rejoins.
2011: U.S. stops paying dues after Palestine joins.
2017: U.S. announces withdrawal (effective end of 2018).
2023: U.S. rejoins, pledges to repay dues.
2025: U.S announces withdrawal
Obama withdrew all US funds from UNESCO in 2011 as well, due to Palestine being admitted in. This isn't anything particularly noteworthy, just more capitulating to Israel, which is annoying.
The US is complicit in the intentional starvation of gaza’s people by israel. At least 15 people have starved to death in the last 24 hours, including an infant.
> UNESCO works to advance divisive social and cultural causes
I wish I could remember where I heard it, but someone once pointed out that the only difference between special interests and public interests was who said it. This feels like that.
There is no role for the USA in multi-lateral organizations - the USA has made this clear for decades now - it should withdraw from all of them and let the rest of the world get on with creating a world that is based on the dignity of all people.
Sadly, these kinds of high-level decisions (which really do not matter in the grand scheme of things) only make it harder to combat real anti-Semitism: the real anti-Semitism is when people assume you need to move to Israel, and imply that you’re not a “real” American.
Boring, been here before. UNESCO and world moved on. With some notable declarations like Demoscene and Techno music being added in a number of countries. Too bad those couldn't be added to a US registry also.
This administration has zero ability to build or bring people together, able only to destroy what others have made. On the bright side, it isn't effective until December 31, 2026 so there is plenty of time to chicken out.
Sometimes I imagine that I am a time traveling space alien so I can get a bit of emotional distance from what's going on. I imagine that I can leave this time and place [technically, I am leaving this time and place, but no faster than anyone else].
If I was a time travelling space alien I would find it very funny that the Conservative Republican party is not conservative or republican in any recognizable way.
A party that pushes for a unitary executive cannot be republican.
An executive that carelessly breaks existing government functions cannot be conservative.
If I could say one thing to MAGA and have them hear and understand it, it would be this "Donald Trump is a politician". Understand that he is not a Savior. He is not a hero. He does not care about you any more than any other politician.
There are many ways to understand this administration; here are a couple that I wish people would use more often:
1. MAGA is a cluster of ideologies and special interest groups draped in a flag, wearing a crown. The cluster of ideologies and interest groups are not particularly well aligned. There are at least two distinct genres of America First. You have MAHA vs Corporate Interests. Traditional Hawks vs Isolationists. etc etc.
2. Trump uses psychological manipulation without shame. If your reply is that all politicians do this, see my one message above.
~~~
I've just re-read Octavia Butler's Parable of the Sower and Parable of the Talents.
There's a lot there, and it's honestly a bit painful right now; one thing I keep thinking about is "God is Change". There's a lot of ways to interpret that, but the one that I keep thinking about is: In an information game, playing the game changes the game.
Political and economic moves change the game of politics and economics. When you plan your moves (IF you plan your moves), consider not only where you are going on the board, but also how the board will look when you get there.
This is in response to the flagged comment that, apparently, I cannot comment on.
I'm not thrilled about what current US administration is doing when it comes to international NGOs. UNESCO is one example.
However, there's also another problem: various UN bodies became tools for international politics instead of doing what they were originally designed to do. It's another example of good will easily subverted by malicious actors to serve shady political goals.
These international organizations need restructuring that would introduce some sort of a watchdog that would make sure these organizations don't overstep their aria of responsibility. Similarly to how constitutional democracies usually have separation of power and multiple branches of government that are supposed to counterbalance each other.
My layman understanding of the reason for UNESCO existence is the preservation of cultural heritage. This shouldn't be political. This should be based on historical or archeological knowledge as well as arts. However, UNESCO as well as eg. UNICEF and other similar orgs shamelessly engage in political activism that has nothing to do with conservation efforts. The officers of these organizations haven't been elected to represent political wishes of their constituents. They bare no responsibility for the effects of political propaganda they are spreading, but it's impossible to prevent them from doing something they shouldn't be doing by all accounts.
Bad political actors found a way to subvert and misuse organizations that were intended for a good cause. We need to figure out a way to fight this subversion. Defunding is both too late, and comes at a cost of not having an organization that cares about preservation of historical heritage or the rights of children etc.
UNESCO also has the Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission under its umbrella, and the Trumpists want to rake the seabed for polymetallic nodules, environmental catastrophe be damned.
> UNESCO’s decision to admit the “State of Palestine” as a Member State is highly problematic, contrary to U.S. policy, and contributed to the proliferation of anti-Israel rhetoric within the organization.
I asked this when the administration decided to attack funding for research at Harvard University over wild claims, and I ask again, why are we willing to shoot ourselves in the knees for Israel?
I know a lot of people here are looking to leave the US for Europe.
If you’re a founder in that situation and want to bring your startup with you, send me an email, especially if you’re looking to have a startup in defence/cybersecurity/ai. I made it a mission to help people in this situation to move. Contact on my profile.
I feel like the US is becoming like China. Very economically important obviously, but will end up culturally irrelevant. It's hard to build up that much ill-will and still be considered glamorous. I can be wrong, and this isn't my personal judgement, but a genuine prediction.
This seems to be a political back and forth (beginning with the admittance of palestine in the past)... (from wikipedia) U.S. (and Israel) left UNESCO in 2018, but the United States rejoined in 2023. I presume U.S. has left again now in 2025.
[edit: kind of surprised this hasn't been flagged, but sadly indicative of HN's bias.]
>...means any of the following acts committed with intent to destroy, in whole or in part, a national, ethnical, racial or religious group....
Besides Iceland, all UN member nations have a history of land acquisition through force, colonization, or dispossession. By their own definition, they're all guilty of genocide "in part" at some point in their histories, with several in the last 50 or 100 years.
Not that this is a topic that I think anyone is still rubed on (in the sense that even those who voted for him thinking he'd be better on Israel / Palestine relations have been disabused of the notion), but did anyone else have "Trump withdraws the US from UNESCO because they support Palestine" on their bingo card?
And, of course, the follow-up question: did anyone have it on a Harris bingo card?
> UNESCO’s decision to admit the “State of Palestine” as a Member State is highly problematic, contrary to U.S. policy, and contributed to the proliferation of anti-Israel rhetoric within the organization.
I really hope the next president will be able to undo this fucking mess... otherwise the US is probably never going to catch back up to what it used to be. Voters made a terrible mistake.
When did America stop being a globalist in the globalization that they themselves created. And how do you justify iran, hoothis, israel, taiwan with an antiglobalist agenda.
> 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.
Ummm...what?
This is the kind of nonsense that makes me want to leave this country.
Imagine losing control of a puppet state so badly that you end up losing a large amount of global relevance and credibility.
I know that's written kind of lazily and off the cuff but it really hits home how deep the various agencies must be in needing them as a conduit for their actions.
Ever since the firestorm erupted over Trump's U-turn on the Epstein files (gee, I wonder why), he's been desperate to change the conversation, and I'd not be surprised if the timing of this, if not the decision itself, is motivated by that.
Pretty sure it is just part of the barrage of noise meant to distract from the newest Epstein-Trump story, no? The birthday card stuff? Apparently US withdrew and rejoined before so what's the big deal
And it’s wild to think that more than 1/3 of the devs I’ve met in my life support this admin. These are seemingly smart people. The past 10 years or so made me realize I don’t know anything about human nature or intellect.
Edit: I am in no way saying conservatism is bad and liberalism is good. I have my values in both.
"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. "
Throwing away our American First globalist capitalist ideological project for... clout?
Woke is the commingling of awareness of social injustices with a rigid ideological framework that suppresses individual thought and redefines moral foundations.
Instead of recognizing injustice, it became an imposition of ideological points that have to be adopted wholesale instead of being evaluated independently.
There are valid positions on issues related to race, gender, sexuality, and other identity categories but the method of promoting these ideas by enforcing group consensus is not valid and is anti-liberal.
Genuine intellectual curiosity is punished with what is basically name-calling. In result, there is a fear that leads people to publicly profess something unthinkingly or that they question only privately. This creates a culture of just parroting consensus views to avoid social penalties.
It always amazed me how quickly the UN became a mechanism for corruption. Growing up in the US it's easy to forget political corruption is the norm in most of the world, and the UN is just one of the vehicles.
There are millions of gamers that await to play GTA VI, then you read the news and it looks like the whole word has turned in some silly real life GTA VI already (although, an happy ending is not guaranteed). It's shocking.
The hard truth is that for any deal—or broader cooperation—to succeed, both parties must benefit and perceive the deal as fair. Without mutual benefit, the cooperation underpinning the deal will not be stable.
> The United States Withdraws from UNESCO (state.gov)
Probably, the majority of people in the U.S. feel they are losing from these deals, which is why they are willing to withdraw. It is both the government’s prerogative and duty to manifest that will. As a non-American, I deeply respect that freedom and choice.
In fact, I believe that any administration has a duty to prioritize its own nation first—whether it's called "America First," "Palestinian First," "EU First," "China First," or any other national equivalent. This is a principle that every country should embrace. It's natural for governments to prioritize the interests of their own citizens, as they are funded by taxpayers and must be accountable to them.
And, To be "First", they need beneficial cooperation and compete wisely. Competition, driven by 'ego love,' along with cooperation, fueled by 'world love,' is the righteous way to "Make All Great Again."
These ideas are rooted in ecological and evolutionary principles. While "survival of the fittest" drives competition, it also paradoxically fosters the evolution of cooperation, as even the fittest depend on reciprocal relationships to truly thrive. <The Evolution of Cooperation> is a Book by Robert Axelrod
The United States withdraws from UNESCO
(state.gov)619 points by layer8 22 July 2025 | 876 comments
Comments
Seems to be a revolving door
https://www.cbc.ca/news/world/israel-gaza-war-hunger-childre...
Ragequitting UNESCO over their recognition of palestine is a small part of the project of supporting the ethnic cleansing of gaza and the west bank.
I wish I could remember where I heard it, but someone once pointed out that the only difference between special interests and public interests was who said it. This feels like that.
https://unesdoc.unesco.org/ark:/48223/pf0000385118
https://2017-2021.state.gov/the-united-states-withdraws-from...
Boring, been here before. UNESCO and world moved on. With some notable declarations like Demoscene and Techno music being added in a number of countries. Too bad those couldn't be added to a US registry also.
Seems about right.
If I was a time travelling space alien I would find it very funny that the Conservative Republican party is not conservative or republican in any recognizable way.
A party that pushes for a unitary executive cannot be republican.
An executive that carelessly breaks existing government functions cannot be conservative.
If I could say one thing to MAGA and have them hear and understand it, it would be this "Donald Trump is a politician". Understand that he is not a Savior. He is not a hero. He does not care about you any more than any other politician.
There are many ways to understand this administration; here are a couple that I wish people would use more often:
1. MAGA is a cluster of ideologies and special interest groups draped in a flag, wearing a crown. The cluster of ideologies and interest groups are not particularly well aligned. There are at least two distinct genres of America First. You have MAHA vs Corporate Interests. Traditional Hawks vs Isolationists. etc etc.
2. Trump uses psychological manipulation without shame. If your reply is that all politicians do this, see my one message above.
~~~
I've just re-read Octavia Butler's Parable of the Sower and Parable of the Talents.
There's a lot there, and it's honestly a bit painful right now; one thing I keep thinking about is "God is Change". There's a lot of ways to interpret that, but the one that I keep thinking about is: In an information game, playing the game changes the game.
Political and economic moves change the game of politics and economics. When you plan your moves (IF you plan your moves), consider not only where you are going on the board, but also how the board will look when you get there.
I'm not thrilled about what current US administration is doing when it comes to international NGOs. UNESCO is one example.
However, there's also another problem: various UN bodies became tools for international politics instead of doing what they were originally designed to do. It's another example of good will easily subverted by malicious actors to serve shady political goals.
These international organizations need restructuring that would introduce some sort of a watchdog that would make sure these organizations don't overstep their aria of responsibility. Similarly to how constitutional democracies usually have separation of power and multiple branches of government that are supposed to counterbalance each other.
My layman understanding of the reason for UNESCO existence is the preservation of cultural heritage. This shouldn't be political. This should be based on historical or archeological knowledge as well as arts. However, UNESCO as well as eg. UNICEF and other similar orgs shamelessly engage in political activism that has nothing to do with conservation efforts. The officers of these organizations haven't been elected to represent political wishes of their constituents. They bare no responsibility for the effects of political propaganda they are spreading, but it's impossible to prevent them from doing something they shouldn't be doing by all accounts.
Bad political actors found a way to subvert and misuse organizations that were intended for a good cause. We need to figure out a way to fight this subversion. Defunding is both too late, and comes at a cost of not having an organization that cares about preservation of historical heritage or the rights of children etc.
I asked this when the administration decided to attack funding for research at Harvard University over wild claims, and I ask again, why are we willing to shoot ourselves in the knees for Israel?
If you’re a founder in that situation and want to bring your startup with you, send me an email, especially if you’re looking to have a startup in defence/cybersecurity/ai. I made it a mission to help people in this situation to move. Contact on my profile.
This isn’t just a blip, but part of a long-term downward trajectory in U.S. and UNESCO relations.
1200 days, if we make it, well if there's a real election
[edit: kind of surprised this hasn't been flagged, but sadly indicative of HN's bias.]
>...means any of the following acts committed with intent to destroy, in whole or in part, a national, ethnical, racial or religious group....
Besides Iceland, all UN member nations have a history of land acquisition through force, colonization, or dispossession. By their own definition, they're all guilty of genocide "in part" at some point in their histories, with several in the last 50 or 100 years.
And, of course, the follow-up question: did anyone have it on a Harris bingo card?
America First continues to be Israel First.
I suspect he will make a major war, and invoke military rule or whatever, before the next election, in order to continue in power.
Ummm...what?
This is the kind of nonsense that makes me want to leave this country.
I know that's written kind of lazily and off the cuff but it really hits home how deep the various agencies must be in needing them as a conduit for their actions.
The worrying part is that this is world's first military power, and (still) the first economic power...
Edit: I am in no way saying conservatism is bad and liberalism is good. I have my values in both.
Throwing away our American First globalist capitalist ideological project for... clout?
Instead of recognizing injustice, it became an imposition of ideological points that have to be adopted wholesale instead of being evaluated independently.
There are valid positions on issues related to race, gender, sexuality, and other identity categories but the method of promoting these ideas by enforcing group consensus is not valid and is anti-liberal.
Genuine intellectual curiosity is punished with what is basically name-calling. In result, there is a fear that leads people to publicly profess something unthinkingly or that they question only privately. This creates a culture of just parroting consensus views to avoid social penalties.
In a nutshell, it is pressure to conform.
Coming up next: The United States wonders why it doesn't have allies anymore and why the rest of the world starts working around them.
> The United States Withdraws from UNESCO (state.gov)
Probably, the majority of people in the U.S. feel they are losing from these deals, which is why they are willing to withdraw. It is both the government’s prerogative and duty to manifest that will. As a non-American, I deeply respect that freedom and choice.
In fact, I believe that any administration has a duty to prioritize its own nation first—whether it's called "America First," "Palestinian First," "EU First," "China First," or any other national equivalent. This is a principle that every country should embrace. It's natural for governments to prioritize the interests of their own citizens, as they are funded by taxpayers and must be accountable to them.
And, To be "First", they need beneficial cooperation and compete wisely. Competition, driven by 'ego love,' along with cooperation, fueled by 'world love,' is the righteous way to "Make All Great Again."
These ideas are rooted in ecological and evolutionary principles. While "survival of the fittest" drives competition, it also paradoxically fosters the evolution of cooperation, as even the fittest depend on reciprocal relationships to truly thrive. <The Evolution of Cooperation> is a Book by Robert Axelrod