U.S. President Donald Trump announced on Wednesday that the United States will withdraw from multiple international and United Nations entities, including a major climate treaty and a U.N. agency dedicated to gender equality.
According to a memo shared with senior administration officials, the list includes 35 non-U.N. organisations and 31 U.N. bodies, among them the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC)Â widely regarded as the foundational climate agreement underpinning the 2015 Paris climate deal.
Also Read:Â US Pledges $2bn for UN Humanitarian Aid
The announcement comes after the United States skipped last year’s annual U.N. climate summit, marking the first absence in three decades.
“The United States would be the first country to walk away from the UNFCCC,” said Manish Bapna, president and CEO of the Natural Resources Defense Council. “Every other nation remains a member, recognising that beyond the moral imperative of addressing climate change, participating allows countries to influence major economic policies and opportunities.”
The U.S. will also exit UN Women, the U.N. entity focused on gender equality and women’s empowerment, as well as the U.N. Population Fund (UNFPA), which addresses family planning and maternal and child health in over 150 countries. Last year, the U.S. cut its funding for UNFPA.
“For United Nations entities, withdrawal means ceasing participation or funding to those organisations to the extent permitted by law,” the memo said. Trump has already reduced voluntary funding to most U.N. agencies.
A spokesperson for U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
Trump’s decision underscores his long-standing scepticism towards multilateral institutions, particularly the United Nations. He has repeatedly questioned their effectiveness, cost, and accountability, arguing that many fail to advance U.S. interests.
Since starting his second term a year ago, Trump has sought to reduce U.S. funding for the U.N., ended U.S. engagement with the U.N. Human Rights Council, extended a halt on funding for the Palestinian relief agency UNRWA, and withdrawn from UNESCO. He has also announced plans to quit the World Health Organization and the Paris climate agreement.
Other organisations on the U.S. withdrawal list include the U.N. Conference on Trade and Development, the International Energy Forum, the U.N. Register of Conventional Arms, and the U.N. Peacebuilding Commission.
The White House said the agencies targeted “promote radical climate policies, global governance, and ideological programmes that conflict with U.S. sovereignty and economic strength.” The review of all international intergovernmental organisations, treaties, and conventions is part of an effort to ensure U.S. resources are spent efficiently.
“These withdrawals will end American taxpayer funding and involvement in entities that advance globalist agendas over U.S. priorities, or that address important issues inefficiently or ineffectively, such that U.S. taxpayer dollars are better allocated elsewhere to support relevant missions,” the White House said in a statement.
