Unesco: How US decision to quit could hurt cultural freedoms

The US decision to leave the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) could hinder global efforts to protect heritage sites and protect freedoms, lobbyists warned.

The Donald Trump administration said on Tuesday that the United States will exit Unesco by the end of 2026, the latest move to disengage from multilateral organisations it said were misaligned with his "America First" agenda.

But cultural enthusiasts warned the move could hurt global cooperation between experts in protecting cultural heritage. Artists at Risk Connection (ARC), an international organisation that promotes the right to artistic freedom worldwide, said creatives including in the US could be in danger because of the content they produce, which may be at odds with US policy.

“The United States withdrawal from UNESCO undermines one of the world’s leading institutions dedicated to defending artistic freedom, safeguarding cultural heritage, and promoting inclusive, democratic values,” said ARC Executive Director Julie Trébault.

“The administration’s pattern of hostility towards multilateral institutions and the cultural sector at large is deeply troubling, and has already produced a significant chilling effect on creative expression and participation in culture. At a time when authoritarian forces are gaining ground globally, and historical and cultural sites are at risk of erasure, UNESCO is more critical than ever.”

Tammy Bruce, the US State Department spokesperson, accused Unesco of advancing “divisive social and cultural causes and maintaining 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.

Washington also says it disagreed with 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.”

With 194 Member States, Unesco is one of the largest UN agencies and is involved in multilateral cooperation on education, science, culture, communication and information. It is headquartered in Paris, France, but has offices in 54 countries with over 2300 employees. Over the years, it engages communities to protect heritage sites and intangible cultural products such as music, dance or cultural practices. But it also supports creative and inclusive communities, something that Tramp has been uncomfortable with.

Audrey Azoulay, Director-General of Unesco said the agency regretted the US withdrawal, but said Unesco will remain focused on its usual programmes and did not anticipate laying off staff.

“This decision contradicts the fundamental principles of multilateralism, and may affect first and foremost our many partners in the United States of America— communities seeking site inscription on the World Heritage List, Creative City status, and University Chairs,” the Director-General said.

Yosemite National Park and Grand Canyon National Park are among the US sites that have been added to the World Heritage list.

However, she said the fraction of US funding for Unesco had gone done over the years and the agency was no longer reliant on Washington.

“Thanks to the efforts made by the organisation since 2018, the decreasing trend in the financial contribution of the US has been offset, so that it now represents 8 percent of the Organisation's total budget compared to 40 percent for some United Nations entities; while at the same time, UNESCO’s overall budget has steadily increased.

“Today, the Organisation is better protected in financial terms, with the steady support of a large number of Member States and private contributors. These voluntary contributions have doubled since 2018.”

This would be the third time the US is pulling out of Unesco.  In 1984, Ronald Reagan pulled the US from Unesco, accusing it of aligning with the Soviet Union. 

George W Bush returned to it in 2003, only for Barack Obama to cut off funding to Unesco in 2011, after member states endorsed membership of Palestine. In 2017, Trump's first administration quit Unesco alongside Israel after accusing it of anti-Israeli bias.

US, at the time, had refused to disburse over $500 million (Sh64.6 billion) to the agency.  President Joe Biden reversed the decision in 2023. It has now been reversed again to quit.

US lawmaker Gregory Meeks, a ranking member and former chair of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, said the withdrawal was “reckless.”

“Once again, this administration is undermining US global leadership,” Meeks said in a statement.