United States of America

The United States is a founding member of UNESCO and Americans were an important part of UNESCO's creation. Author Archibald MacLeish, the first American member of UNESCO's executive board, wrote the preamble to its 1945 Constitution opening lines : "Since wars begin in the minds of men, it is in the minds of men that the defenses of peace must be constructed." The USA withdrew from UNESCO in 1984 and rejoined the Organization after an almost twenty-year absence, in October 2003. The country is no longer a member since 2018, but is home to several UNESCO world heritage sites, UNESCO chairs, as well as UNESCO creative cities.