Beijing decries Washington as latest US withdrawal from UN cultural arm meets with global condemnation

The United States’ decision to withdraw from UNESCO is not conduct befitting a responsible major country, Beijing said while emphasizing that China remains steadfast in supporting the organization’s work.

The US announced on July 22 that it will be pulling itself out of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), with the withdrawal set to take effect at the end of 2026.

Addressing a daily news briefing, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Guo Jiakun noted that UNESCO and many countries have expressed regret over Washington’s decision, which will be the third time the US has exited the organization while also chronically defaulting on its dues.

The US decision to withdraw from UNESCO was “regrettable” but “anticipated”, the organization’s director-general said on July 22,

warning that the move could undermine the agency’s cooperation with US-based partners.

“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,” Audrey Azoulay said in a statement.

The Donald Trump administration announced the decision to again withdraw from the UNESCO, just two years after rejoining under former president Joe Biden.

State Department spokeswoman Tammy Bruce alleged that the organization promotes “divisive social and cultural causes”, and said its focus on United Nations Sustainable Development Goals is “at odds” with “America First foreign policy”.

Washington also cited UNESCO’s decision in 2011 to admit the State of Palestine as a member state, calling it “highly problematic”, contrary to US policy, and a factor in what it sees as anti-Israel rhetoric within the agency.

Trump previously pulled the US out of UNESCO in 2017 on the grounds of “anti-Israel bias”. Azoulay rejected the US claims, saying they “contradict the reality of UNESCO’s efforts, particularly in the field of Holocaust education and the fight against antisemitism”.

UNESCO is the only UN agency responsible for these issues and has received broad praise from institutions including the US Holocaust Memorial Museum, the World Jewish Congress and the American Jewish Committee, she said.

The agency has supported 85 countries to educate students about the Holocaust and genocides, and “will continue to carry out these missions, despite inevitably reduced resources”, she added.

UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric also defended the agency, saying UNESCO — and Azoulay personally — have been “at the forefront” of the fight against antisemitism.

UNESCO’s decision to admit Palestine as a member in 2011 triggered a US law barring funding to the agency, resulting in more than $500 million in unpaid dues after the Trump administration first withdrew. At the time, the US had been contributing about $70 million annually — about 22 percent of UNESCO’s budget.

When the Biden administration rejoined in 2023, the US was planning to pay more than $600 million in back payments.

A UNESCO source, speaking anonymously, described the US move as “purely political, without any real factual base”.

The organization had already been “forced” to do without US money for several years after their departure in 2017, the source told AFP news agency.

France, where UNESCO is based, stated in a news release that it regrets the US’ decision to withdraw from the agency, which was founded in 1946 “to prevent conflicts through education, culture and tolerance”.

French President Emmanuel Macron said in a post on social media platform X that UNESCO had his “unwavering support” that would not weaken after the US departure.

Yifan Xu in Washington and Xinhua contributed to this story.

Contact the writers at zhaojia@chinadaily.com.cn