A specialized agency of the United Nations, founded in 1946 and based in Paris, which promotes international collaboration in education, science, culture, and communication. In education, it supports the spread of literacy, continuing education, and universal primary education; and in science, assists developing countries, and international interchange between scientists. It encourages the preservation of monuments and sites, and of other aspects of culture such as oral traditions, music, and dance. By 2017 UNESCO’s ‘World Heritage List’, designed to protect landmarks of ‘outstanding universal value’, comprised 1,073 sites in 167 countries. In the field of communication, UNESCO is committed to the free flow of information. In 1980 its supreme governing body approved a New World Information and Communication Order despite opposition from those who believed it threatened press freedom. In 1984 the USA (which had been due to supply about a quarter of UNESCO’s budget) and in 1985 the UK and Singapore withdrew, alleging financial mismanagement and political bias against Western countries. Following reforms, the UK re-joined in 1997 and the USA in 2003.

In October 2017 the US announced its intention to withdraw from UNESCO (though remaining a "non-member observer state”) at the end of 2018 due to “continuing anti-Israel bias”. Israel then followed suit.