The US will withdraw again from UNESCO, the UN's cultural agency.

The United States will leave the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), in a further demonstration by President Donald Trump of his intention to distance the country from international institutions he has criticized for years, the New York Post reported Tuesday, citing a White House official. The White House declined to comment.

The move is a blow to the Paris-based agency, founded after World War II to promote peace through international cooperation in education, science, and culture.

Trump had already taken similar steps during his first term, withdrawing from the World Health Organization (WHO), the UN Human Rights Council, the Paris Agreement on climate change, and the Iran nuclear deal.

His successor, Joe Biden , reversed those decisions after taking office in 2021, reinstating the United States in UNESCO, the WHO, and the climate agreement.

With Trump's return to the presidency, the country is once again withdrawing from several international organizations. His administration has also ordered a 90-day pause on all US foreign assistance to assess its alignment with the president's foreign policy priorities.

UNESCO is widely known for its work in designating World Heritage sites, such as the Grand Canyon in the United States and the ancient city of Palmyra in Syria.

The United States was one of UNESCO's founding members in 1945, but withdrew for the first time in 1984 in protest at alleged financial mismanagement and perceived anti-American bias. It returned almost two decades later, in 2003, under President George W. Bush , who claimed at the time that the agency had undertaken necessary reforms.

UNESCO officials noted that the agency is currently much less dependent on the United States than in the past. However, they acknowledged that the withdrawal would have an impact, albeit limited, on some of the programs funded by Washington.

Currently, the United States contributes about 8% of UNESCO's total budget, down from 20% when Trump first decided to withdraw the country from the organization.