Trump administration has been preparing for a withdrawal from world heritage body for months, which Israeli PM praises as ‘brave and moral decision’

This article is more than 2 years old

This article is more than 2 years old

The United States has formally notified the UN’s world heritage body Unesco that it is withdrawing its membership of the organisation citing “continuing anti-Israel bias”.



The announcement by the Trump administration was followed a few hours later by news that Israel was also planning to quit the financially struggling cultural and educational agency.

In a statement Benjamin Netanyahu, the Israeli prime minister, welcomed the US move saying: “This is a brave and moral decision, because Unesco has become a theatre of absurd. Instead of preserving history, it distorts it.”

The body is best known for its world heritage listings of outstanding cultural and natural sites but has often drawn the ire of Israel and the Trump administration for a series of decisions, including the listing of Hebron, a city in the southern part of the occupied Palestinian territories, as a Palestinian world heritage site.

Unesco’s director general, Irina Bokova, expressed her “profound regret” over the US decision. “This is not just about World Heritage,” she said, describing the withdrawal as “a loss to both the organisation and the US”.

“At the time when conflicts continue to tear apart societies across the world, it is deeply regrettable for the United States to withdraw from the United Nations agency promoting education for peace and protecting culture under attack.” she added. “This is a loss to the United Nations family. This is a loss for multilateralism.”

Disclosing the US government’s decision, the state department said in a statement it would seek to “remain engaged … as a non-member observer state in order to contribute US views, perspectives and expertise”.



The statement added: “This decision was not taken lightly, and reflects US concerns with mounting arrears at Unesco, the need for fundamental reform in the organisation, and continuing anti-Israel bias at Unesco,” the US state department said.

The withdrawal will take effect on 31 December 2018.

In 2011 the US cancelled its budget contribution to Unesco in protest against the admission of Palestine as a full member.

The Israeli ambassador Danny Danon said the US withdrawal was proof that the “absurd and shameful resolutions against Israel have consequences.”

Danon said: “Today is a new day at the UN where there is a price to pay for discrimination against Israel.”

Unesco members are voting on a replacement for Bokova, whose term in office is coming to an end.

After two days of a secret ballot that could run until Friday, Qatar’s Hamad bin Abdulaziz al-Kawari is leading France’s Audrey Azoulay and Egyptian hopeful Moushira Khattab.

The emergence of Kawari has been seen by Israel and the US as a failure of their efforts to secure the post for a figure they regard as more friendly.

Earlier this week Israel’s Unesco ambassador described the trajectory of voting in the secret ballots as “bad news for the organisation and unfortunately also for Israel”.

The US decision to quit Unesco, however, was regretted by other member countries who said the move could harm the struggling organisation.

France’s ambassador to the UN, Francois Delattre, said Unesco’s ideals are “part of America’s DNA” and that “we need an America that stays committed to world affairs.”

Tatiana Dovgalenko, Russia’s deputy permanent representative to the agency, told The Associated Press that the departure of “one of the countries that founded the UN system” is “a shock and a pity.”

According to a report in Foreign Policy, the US decision was also driven by a desire to make budget cuts.

Foreign Policy reported that the decision to pull out had been made several weeks ago during the UN general assembly in New York, and was taken over the heads of officials who had argued that the US should wait until after the Unesco election process was complete.



The US previously withdrew from Unesco under Ronald Reagan, only to rejoin under George W Bush.

In May this year, Israel was infuriated by a resolution identifying Israel as “the occupying power” in the divided of city of Jerusalem and calling on it to rescind any move changing the city’s “character and status”.

Israel suspends ties with Unesco over motion that downplays Jerusalem links Read more

The Trump administration has been preparing for a withdrawal for months, and a decision was expected before the end of the year, according to US officials. Several diplomats who were to have been posted to the mission this summer were told that their positions were on hold and advised to seek other jobs.

In addition, the Trump administration’s proposed budget for the next fiscal year contains no provision for the possibility that Unesco funding restrictions might be lifted.

The lack of staffing and funding plans for Unesco by the US have been accompanied by repeated denunciations of Unesco by senior US officials, including the US ambassador to the United Nations, Nikki Haley.