US rejoins UNESCO after Trump withdrawal reversing six-year absence from UN agency

The United States officially rejoins UNESCO, the United Nations' education, science, and culture organization, seven years after President Trump withdrew in 2017 citing anti-Israel bias and mismanagement. The Biden administration announces the return, paying $619 million in back dues. The U.S. return is partly motivated by concern that China has been filling the leadership vacuum at UNESCO during the American absence. Biden frames the rejoining as part of his broader multilateral engagement strategy. The U.S. had previously withdrawn under Reagan in 1984 and rejoined under George W. Bush in 2003.