IOWA CITY, Iowa (KCRG) – The United States is pulling its funding and support for an international cultural agency for the second time.
The United Nations educational, scientific and cultural organization, or UNESCO, gives special protections to landmarks like the Great Wall of China and the Statue of Liberty.
It also designates creative cities. Iowa City is one of just 9 creative cities in America.
The Iowa City UNESCO City of Literature is a nonprofit that supports local writers and plans events like the Iowa City book festival.
Executive director John Kenyon says with the US leaving UNESCO, the international nonprofit will lose around $75 million each year.
He said while the nonprofit does not get funding from the U-S government or UNESCO, their influence in America will be impacted.
“You know it’s about giving people access to information, giving people ways to connect and communicate with one another, giving them opportunities to learn about the world around them,” Kenyon said.
This move did not come as a surprise. The US also left UNESCO during President Trump’s first term in 2017.
President Biden rejoined the agency in 2023.
The decision to leave UNESCO goes into effect in December of 2026.
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