The United States is withdrawing from UNESCO, the United Nation's cultural and educational agency, effective December 31, the U.S. State Department said in a statement on Thursday.

　　星期四美国国务院在一份声明中表示，美国将退出联合国文化和教育机构——联合国教科文组织，且该决议将于12月31日生效。

　　"This decision was not taken lightly, and reflects U.S. concerns with mounting arrears at UNESCO, the need for fundamental reform in the organization, and continuing anti-Israel bias at UNESCO," the department said, adding that the United States would seek to "remain engaged ...as a non-member observer state in order to contribute U.S. views, perspectives and expertise."

　　美国国务院表示，“该决定不是草率做出的，它反映了美国对联合国教科文组织越来越多的欠款、该组织进行根本性改革的必要性以及其对以色列的持续偏见的担忧”，它还补充道，美国将争取“以非成员的观察国身份参与其中，以便提供美国的意见、观点和专业技能。”

　　In response, UNESCO director general Irina Bokova said in a statement, "I wish to express profound regret at the decision of the United States of America to withdraw from UNESCO".

　　联合国教科文组织负责人伊丽娜·博科娃在一份声明中回应了美国的举动，她表示，“关于美国退出联合国教科文组织的决定，我表示十分遗憾。”

　　A report Thursday in Foreign Policy claimed the Trump administration's decision may also be tied to attempts to cut funding to the cultural agency, which it owes some $500 million.

　　星期四发表的一篇关于外交政策的报道称，特朗普政府的决定可能也与它试图削减该文化机构的经费有关，而美国所欠经费已达5亿美金。

　　The Trump administration is not the first to take such a step. The Reagan administration quit the organization in the 1980s, and the U.S. rejoined it only two decades later, under the George W. Bush administration.

　　特朗普政府不是第一个采取这项措施的美国政府。里根政府在20世纪80年代就退出了联合国教科文组织，而仅仅在20年之后，在乔治·W·布什政府的领导下，美国又重新加入了该组织。

　　In 2011, under the Obama administration, the U.S. cut off most of its funding to UNESCO, this time over its acceptance of Palestine as a member-state.

　　2011年，在奥巴马当政期间，因为联合国教科文组织接受了巴基斯坦的加入，美国削减了其提供给该组织的多数经费。

　　The Trump administration reportedly wants to exit the organization entirely, citing a number of recent resolutions that have targeted Israel and the settlements, including a resolution which declared the city of Hebron, in the occupied West Bank, as a Palestinian World Heritage Site, and a resolution from October 2016 which was sharply critical of Israel's policies in Jerusalem.

　　据报道，特朗普政府想完全退出该组织，因为联合国教科文组织最近针对以色列和其殖民地的多项决议，包括宣布将约旦河西岸(被以色列占领)的希伯伦市列为巴基斯坦的世界文化遗产，以及在2016年10月严厉指责以色列对耶路撒冷的政策等决议。

　　Following the announcement of the US, Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu instructed Israel's Foreign Ministry to lay the ground work for Israel's withdrawal from the UN body as well.

　　在美国发表了这项声明之后，以色列总理本杰明·内塔尼亚胡吩咐以色列外交部为以色列退出联合国的这一机构做好铺垫工作。

　　"This is a brave and moral decision, because UNESCO has become a theatre of the absurd and instead of preserving history, it distorts it," Netanyahu said.

　　“这是一个勇敢又正当的决定，因为联合国教科文组织已经成为一个荒诞的剧院，它不是在保护历史，而是在扭曲历史，”内塔尼亚胡说道。