Foreign Minister Gideon Saar welcomed U.S. President Donald Trump's decision to withdraw from the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), saying it was "an essential step, aimed at promoting justice and Israel's right to fair treatment in the UN system, a right that has often been trampled because of politicization in this arena." Saar added that "the UN needs fundamental reforms to remain relevant." Meanwhile, the organization's Secretary-General Audrey Azoulay said she was "deeply disappointed" by the president's decision, but that "it was expected."