The USA has made a decision to withdraw from UNESCO, reports Reuters.
According to the statement of the State Department, UNESCO Director General Irina Bokova was informed about the US decision.
"The decision was not made easily," the announcement states.
As reported by AP, the decision was made because of tensions over Palestine, more precisely because of the resolution passed by UNESCO, which Washington sees as anti-Israel.
Citing unnamed American officials, AP states that the administration of US President Donald Trump has been preparing for months for the possibility of leaving UNESCO, which Washington officially announced today, and adds that this is not the first such decision by the US.
The agency claims that the decision was expected to be announced by the end of this year, and that several diplomats who were appointed to positions in the US mission to UNESCO this summer were told that everything was on hold and advised to look for other jobs.
America will withdraw from the world organization for the protection of historical and cultural heritage on December 31, and will leave its mission as a permanent observer.
Bokova stated that such a decision is a defeat for multiculturalism.
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