President Donald Trump has ordered the United States to withdraw from 66 international organizations, including major United Nations-affiliated bodies, in one of the most sweeping retreats from global cooperation in recent U.S. history.
On Wednesday, Trump signed a presidential memorandum directing all U.S. departments and agencies to end participation in and funding for 31 United Nations entities and 35 non-UN organizations “as soon as possible.” The White House said the move targets institutions it deems contrary to U.S. national interests, security, economic prosperity, or sovereignty.
The organizations span areas such as climate change, conservation, human rights, counterterrorism, labor and migration, with the administration characterizing many of them as promoting agendas that conflict with American priorities.
Among the major bodies the U.S. plans to exit are the U.N. Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) — the treaty underpinning the Paris climate agreement — and the U.N. Population Fund (UNFPA), a leading agency on reproductive health and demographics. Other entities include UN Women and several advisory panels focused on human rights and armed conflict.
The withdrawal also affects non-UN groups, including the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), a Nobel Peace Prize-winning climate science authority, as well as the International Renewable Energy Agency and the Global Counterterrorism Forum.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio defended the decision, saying some organizations pursue policies opposed to U.S. interests. The White House described the effort as part of a broader review to stop funding entities it views as advancing globalist agendas over U.S. priorities.
Critics and experts have warned that the withdrawal could weaken U.S. influence in global decision-making and undermine international cooperation on issues like climate change and development.
The move follows earlier steps by the Trump administration to quit the Paris climate accord, the World Health Organization (WHO) and the U.N. Human Rights Council, and to cut funding for other U.N. agencies.
