The Trump administration announced on Wednesday it will withdraw from dozens of international organizations, including the UN’s population agency and the UN treaty that underpins global climate negotiations, reports the Associated Press.
President Donald Trump signed an executive order suspending US support for 66 organizations, agencies and commissions. The move follows his directive for a full review of American participation in, and funding for, all international bodies, including those affiliated with the UN, according to a White House statement posted on social media.
Most of the entities targeted are UN‑related agencies, commissions and advisory panels dealing with climate, labor and other issues the Trump administration has labeled as promoting diversity and “woke" initiatives.
In a statement, the State Department said, “The Trump administration has found these institutions to be redundant in their scope, mismanaged, unnecessary, wasteful, poorly run, captured by the interests of actors advancing their own agendas contrary to our own, or a threat to our nation’s sovereignty, freedoms, and general prosperity."
The administration had already suspended support for the World Health Organization, UNRWA, the UN Human Rights Council and UNESCO, adopting an a‑la‑carte approach to UN funding and choosing which agencies align with Trump’s agenda.
The shift marks a sharp departure from how previous Republican and Democratic administrations engaged with the UN, prompting the world body - already undergoing internal restructuring - to implement staffing and program cuts.
Independent NGOs, including those working with the UN, have reported widespread project closures following last year’s cuts to foreign assistance through USAID.
Despite the sweeping withdrawals, US officials, including Trump, say they still see value in the UN and intend to redirect taxpayer funds toward expanding US influence in key standard‑setting bodies where Washington competes with China, such as the International Telecommunications Union, the International Maritime Organization and the International Labor Organization.
The withdrawal from the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) is the latest step in distancing the US from climate‑focused international bodies. The UNFCCC, signed in 1992 by 198 countries, forms the basis of the Paris climate agreement, which Trump exited soon after returning to the White House.
Other organizations the US will leave include the Carbon Free Energy Compact, the United Nations University, the International Cotton Advisory Committee, the International Tropical Timber Organization, the Partnership for Atlantic Cooperation, the Pan‑American Institute for Geography and History, the International Federation of Arts Councils and Culture Agencies, and the International Lead and Zinc Study Group, according to AP.
The State Department said additional reviews are still underway.