The U.S. should fix UNESCO, not quit it (again)

Flags fly outside the Paris headquarters of UNESCO. (Hugo Mathy/AFP via Getty Images) By Charles K. Djou

Charles K. Djou was secretary of the American Battle Monuments Commission during the Biden administration. He represented Hawaii’s 1st Congressional District in the U.S. House as a Republican from 2010 to 2011.

For decades, the United States has played an on-again, off-again game with UNESCO. The U.S. first withdrew in 1984 under President Ronald Reagan, rejoined under President George W. Bush, pulled out again during President Donald Trump’s first term, returned under President Joe Biden — and now is being withdrawn by Trump again, effective at the end of 2026. This inconsistency in U.S. engagement doesn’t just confuse allies; it erodes America’s long-term credibility in multilater