Trump Announces Withdrawal from Key Cultural Preservation Organizations

According to a recent memo from the White House, President Trump has decided to withdraw the United States from 66 international organizations and treaties, citing these entities as “contrary to the interests” of the U.S. Among these are two groups dedicated to cultural heritage and arts policy: the International Centre for the Study of the Preservation and Restoration of Cultural Property (ICCROM) and the International Federation of Arts Councils and Culture Agencies (IFACCA).

Headquartered in Australia, IFACCA collaborates with government arts agencies, focusing on arts policy issues such as funding and cultural labor. Meanwhile, ICCROM, based in Rome, works on preservation of cultural heritage and has partnered with the U.S. State Department to safeguard Ukrainian cultural sites threatened by Russian attacks.

The U.S.’s withdrawal has prompted concern from cultural leaders, such as Hermann Parzinger of Europa Nostra, who lamented the move as a step back from multilateral cooperation in cultural preservation—a sentiment similar to criticism following Trump’s earlier withdrawal from UNESCO.

The broader implications of Trump’s decision also include potential setbacks in various global efforts, particularly those related to clean energy, climate change, and human rights. This is occurring amid other controversial geopolitical actions by the U.S., such as its recent attack on Venezuela and escalated tensions with Denmark over Greenland. Advocates have warned of negative consequences for international collaboration and human rights advocacy stemming from this policy shift.