Paris

The United States and Israel officially quit the U.N.'s educational, scientific and cultural agency at the stroke of midnight, the culmination of a process triggered more than a year ago amid concerns that the organization fosters anti-Israel bias.

The withdrawal is mainly procedural yet serves a blow to UNESCO, founded after World War II to foster peace.

The Trump administration filed its notice to withdraw in October 2017.

The Paris-based organization has been denounced by its critics as a crucible for anti-Israel bias — blasted for criticizing Israel's occupation of east Jerusalem, naming ancient Jewish sites as Palestinian heritage sites and granting full membership to Palestine in 2011.

The U.S. has demanded "fundamental reform" in the agency, which is best known for its World Heritage program to protect cultural sites and traditions. It also works to improve education for girls, to promote understanding of the Holocaust's horrors, and to defend media freedom.

The withdrawals will not greatly impact UNESCO financially; it has been dealing with a funding slash ever since 2011, when both Israel and the U.S. stopped paying dues.