The United Nations organization dedicated to education, science, and cultural advancement has been abruptly reduced by one member among its 194 constituent states. This development deals a significant setback to the Paris-based UNESCO, an institution that has also been targeted by U.S. President Donald Trump.
Nicaragua, expressing its ire, declared its exit from the U.N. Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization in a formal letter directed to Audrey Azoulay, the UNESCO director general. The notification arrived on Sunday morning, signaling a significant diplomatic shift.
In correspondence reviewed, Nicaraguan Foreign Minister Valdrack Jaentschke voiced his denunciation over UNESCO’s decision to award a press freedom prize to a Nicaraguan newspaper, La Prensa. La Prensa had been honored for its tenacious journalism amidst “severe repression” and its defiance through reporting while in exile, thereby sustaining the spirit of press freedom in Nicaragua.
The Nicaraguan administration, spearheaded by President Daniel Ortega and his co-president wife, Rosario Murillo, intensified crackdowns against dissent since 2018 by aggressively quelling protests, which they claimed were orchestrated by foreign entities aiming for regime overthrow.
Minister Jaentschke, in his communication to UNESCO, accused La Prensa of being supportive of U.S. narratives, labeling the outlet as a “vile betrayal against our Motherland.”
The Heart of the Controversy: UNESCO’s Press Freedom Recognition
The roots of the discontent trace back to UNESCO’s World Press Freedom Prize, instituted in 1997 and singularly dedicated to members of the journalistic community. This accolade is named after Colombian journalist Guillermo Cano Isaza, who was fatally shot in 1986 in Bogota.
The international jury, consisting of media experts, advocated for La Prensa as the 2025 prize recipient, acknowledging the outlet’s brave pursuit of truth over its many decades of existence since 1926. UNESCO highlighted that, since 2021, following the punitive actions against its leaders and the seizure of its operations, La Prensa has managed to inform Nicaraguans online with most of its team operating from overseas locations like Costa Rica, Spain, Mexico, Germany, and the United States.
In recent years, notable awardees have included Belarus’ leading independent journalists’ body in 2022 and, in 2019, journalists Kyaw Soe Oo and Wa Lone, who suffered incarceration in Myanmar for documenting the military’s harsh oppression of Rohingya Muslims.
Nicaragua’s Defiant Stance
Jaentschke’s letter dismissed UNESCO’s acknowledgment of La Prensa as unjustified, condemning the organization’s actions as “unacceptable and inadmissible.” The minister claimed, albeit without evidence, that La Prensa has advocated for U.S. military and political intervention in Nicaragua.
Criticizing UNESCO, he expressed profound regret that the agency seemingly promotes initiatives offensive to the core values of Nicaragua’s culture and national identity.
UNESCO’s Reaction to the Withdrawal
Azoulay, in formally announcing Nicaragua’s departure, asserted that “UNESCO is fully within its mandate when it defends freedom of expression and press freedom around the world.” She expressed her disappointment, noting that this decision will rob Nicaragua’s populace of educational and cultural advancements through cooperative efforts.
The Trump Administration’s Approach to UNESCO
The Trump administration had a history of skepticism towards Ortega’s governance. A 2018 action by Trump saw a legislative move to cut resources meant for Nicaragua’s government.
However, the administration also exhibited disapproval towards UNESCO. After accusing the agency of an anti-Israel stance, Trump’s administration announced a U.S. withdrawal in 2017, implemented a year later. The U.S. officially rejoined UNESCO in 2023 under President Joe Biden’s leadership, marking a conclusion to its five-year absence.