President Donald Trump has directed the United States to withdraw from 66 international organizations, including key UN agencies, accelerating Washington’s retreat from multilateral cooperation.
The executive order, signed Wednesday, instructs US departments to end participation in and cut funding for 31 UN-affiliated bodies and 35 non-UN organizations “as soon as possible,” according to the White House.
The affected organizations cover climate change, conservation, counterterrorism, human rights, and other fields, reports dw.com
Key UN Bodies Targeted
Among the 31 UN-linked entities from which the US is withdrawing are:
- UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) – the main UN climate negotiation body
- UN Women – leading agency for gender equality
- Office of the Special Representative for Children in Armed Conflict
- Office of the Special Representative on Sexual Violence in Conflict
- UN Population Fund (UNFPA) – agency on reproductive health and population
- International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN)
- UN Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD)
- UN Human Settlements Program (UN-Habitat)
- Permanent Forum on People of African Descent
Other International Bodies
The US will also withdraw from 35 non-UN organizations, including:
- Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) – the world’s leading authority on climate science, Nobel Peace Prize laureate in 2007
- International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA)
- International Solar Alliance (ISA)
- Venice Commission of the Council of Europe
- Regional Cooperation Agreement on Combating Piracy and Armed Robbery against Ships in Asia (ReCAAP)
- Global Counterterrorism Forum
- Colombo Plan Council – focused on technical cooperation across Asia-Pacific
- Science and Technology Center in Ukraine (STCU) – non-proliferation of nuclear and biological weapons
Reasons for Withdrawal
Secretary of State Marco Rubio stated that some of the organizations “operate in ways contrary to the interests of the United States.”
Many are UN agencies dealing with climate, labor, migration, and social policy, which the administration has criticized as overly “woke.”
Last year, the US also slashed foreign aid through USAID, forcing several UN bodies to scale back operations, primarily affecting developing countries and global public health initiatives.
Meanwhile, Al-Jazeera reported the UN spokesperson Stephane Dujarric as saying the organization expects to respond formally to the announcement.
Since beginning his second term in January 2025, Trump has also withdrawn the US from the World Health Organization (WHO), the Paris climate agreement, and the UN Human Rights Council.
These withdrawals mirror actions taken during his first term but were reversed by the Biden administration. The WHO exit is set to take effect January 22, 2026, after a one-year transition. Between 2024 and 2025, the US contributed $261 million to the WHO, roughly 18% of its funding, supporting programs on pandemics, tuberculosis, and other global health initiatives.
Trump’s administration has also maintained a funding ban on the UN agency for Palestinian refugees (UNRWA), initially implemented under the Biden administration.
Observers note that while Trump publicly advocates reducing US involvement in multilateral forums, he continues to exert influence on global policy. In recent years, he blocked international climate agreements, imposed sanctions on UN officials, and leveraged US veto power at the Security Council on matters such as Israel’s war in Gaza.
The sweeping withdrawals are likely to reshape US engagement with international diplomacy, climate cooperation, and humanitarian assistance in the coming years.
