US President Donald Trump has ordered the country’s withdrawal from 66 global organisations.
In a press statement issued Wednesday, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the decision was taken in furtherance of Executive Order 14199, following an administration-wide review of international organisations receiving U.S. participation or funding.
According to Rubio, the Trump administration concluded that many of these institutions are redundant, mismanaged, unnecessary, or actively working against U.S. interests. Others, he said, have become platforms for ideological agendas that undermine national sovereignty and divert American resources with little tangible benefit.
“It is no longer acceptable to be sending these institutions the blood, sweat, and treasure of the American people, with little to nothing to show for it,” Rubio said.
The administration argues that billions of dollars in U.S. taxpayer money have flowed for years to international bodies that deliver few results while advancing policies at odds with the Trump administration’s priorities. Rubio said those days are now over.
Trump directed all executive departments and agencies to take immediate steps to effect the country’s withdrawal from the organisations as soon as possible.
Of the 66 organisations, 31 are United Nations (UN) entities while 35 are non-UN affiliated.
Notable among the organisations include the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) and the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), which, according to the White House, operate contrary to America’s national interests.
Upon returning to office last January, Trump initiated the withdrawal of the US from the World Health Organisation (WHO) and the Paris Climate Agreement.
Weeks later, he signed an executive order withdrawing the US from the UN Human Rights Council (UNHRC) and prohibiting any future funding for the UN Relief and Works Agency for the Near East (UNRWA).
UNFCCC addresses global climate efforts and coordinates international action on climate change through annual COP meetings and agreements like the Paris Accord. Trump has repeatedly labelled climate change a “scam”.
UNFPA promotes access to family planning, maternal healthcare, and efforts to end gender-based violence and harmful practices like child marriage. Historically, the US provided substantial funding to UNFPA for programmes in over 150 countries.
President Donald Trump’s decision to withdraw the United States from a bedrock climate treaty was slammed Thursday by the EU, which vowed to keep tackling the crisis with other nations.
The treaty adopted in 1992 is a global pact by nations to cooperate to drive down planet-warming greenhouse gas emissions and adapt to the impacts of climate change.
European Union climate chief Wopke Hoekstra said the UNFCCC “underpins global climate action” and brings nations together in the collective fight against the crisis.
“The decision by the world’s largest economy and second-largest emitter to retreat from it is regrettable and unfortunate,” Hoekstra said in a post on LinkedIn.
“We will unequivocally continue to support international climate research, as the foundation of our understanding and work. We will also continue to work on international climate cooperation.”
Trump, who has thrown the full weight of his domestic policy behind fossil fuels, has openly scorned the scientific consensus that human activity is warming the planet, deriding climate science as a “hoax.”
His administration sent no representative to the most recent UN climate summit in Brazil in November, which is held every year under the auspices of the UNFCCC.
Teresa Ribera, the EU’s vice-president for the clean transition, said the Trump administration “doesn’t care” about the environment, health or the suffering of people.
See full list below:
1. 24/7 Carbon-Free Energy Compact
2. Colombo Plan Council
3. Commission for Environmental Cooperation
4. Education Cannot Wait
5. European Centre of Excellence for Countering Hybrid Threats
6. Forum of European National Highway Research Laboratories
7. Freedom Online Coalition
8. Global Community Engagement and Resilience Fund
9. Global Counterterrorism Forum
10. Global Forum on Cyber Expertise
11. Global Forum on Migration and Development
12. Inter-American Institute for Global Change Research
13. Intergovernmental Forum on Mining, Minerals, Metals, and Sustainable Development
14. Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change
15. Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services
16. International Centre for the Study of the Preservation and Restoration of Cultural Property
17. International Cotton Advisory Committee
18. International Development Law Organization
19. International Energy Forum
20. International Federation of Arts Councils and Culture Agencies
21. International Institute for Democracy and Electoral Assistance
22. International Institute for Justice and the Rule of Law
23. International Lead and Zinc Study Group
24. International Renewable Energy Agency
25. International Solar Alliance
26. International Tropical Timber Organization
27. International Union for Conservation of Nature
28. Pan American Institute of Geography and History
29. Partnership for Atlantic Cooperation
30. Regional Cooperation Agreement on Combating Piracy and Armed Robbery against Ships in Asia
31. Regional Cooperation Council
32. Renewable Energy Policy Network for the 21st Century
33. Science and Technology Center in Ukraine
34. Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environment Programme
35. Venice Commission of the Council of Europe
United Nations organisations
36. Department of Economic and Social Affairs
37. U.N. Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) — Economic Commission for Africa
38. ECOSOC — Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean
39. ECOSOC — Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific
40. ECOSOC — Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia
41. International Law Commission
42. International Residual Mechanism for Criminal Tribunals
43. International Trade Centre
44. Office of the Special Adviser on Africa
45. Office of the Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Children in Armed Conflict
46. Office of the Special Representative of the Secretary-General on Sexual Violence in Conflict
47. Office of the Special Representative of the Secretary-General on Violence Against Children
48. Peacebuilding Commission
49. Peacebuilding Fund
50. Permanent Forum on People of African Descent
51. U.N. Alliance of Civilizations
52. U.N. Collaborative Programme on Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation in Developing Countries
53. U.N. Conference on Trade and Development
54. U.N. Democracy Fund
55. U.N. Energy
56. U.N. Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women
57. U.N. Framework Convention on Climate Change
58. U.N. Human Settlements Programme
59. U.N. Institute for Training and Research
60. U.N. Oceans
61. U.N. Population Fund
62. U.N. Register of Conventional Arms
63. U.N. System Chief Executives Board for Coordination
64. U.N. System Staff College
65. U.N. Water
66. U.N. University