<span style="color: #222222;">The United States and Israel officially quit the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) with the close of 2018. </span><br />'' <br />'' <span style="color: #222222;">The countries had announced their decisions in 2017 of withdrawing from the agency, accusing it of bias against Israel. </span><br />'' <br />''<span style="color: #222222;">America has demanded fundamental reform in UNESCO, which was co-founded by it after World War II to foster peace.</span><br />'' <br />'' <span style="color: #222222;">Israel joined the agency in 1949. It is best known for its World Heritage program, which designates cultural sites and aims to preserve traditions. </span><br />'' <br />'' <span style="color: #222222;">UNESCO also works to improve education for girls, promote understanding of the Holocaust's horrors, and to defend media freedom.</span><br />'' <br />'' <span style="color: #222222;">The withdrawals will not greatly impact UNESCO financially since it has been dealing with a funding slash ever since 2011 when both Israel and the US stopped paying dues after Palestine was voted in as a member state.</span><br />