Trump Moves to Withdraw US From Dozens of UN and International Bodies
US President Donald Trump has announced plans to withdraw the United States from dozens of international and United Nations organizations, including a major global climate treaty and a UN body focused on gender equality, arguing that they operate against US national interests.
According to a memo sent to senior administration officials, the United States will exit 35 non-UN organizations and 31 UN entities. Among them is the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), widely regarded as the foundational global climate treaty and the parent agreement to the 2015 Paris climate accord.
The United States also skipped the annual UN climate summit last year for the first time 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. He warned that membership allows countries to shape global economic and climate policy, calling participation both a moral and strategic imperative.
In addition to the climate treaty, the Trump administration plans to withdraw from UN Women, the agency that promotes gender equality and women’s empowerment, and the UN Population Fund (UNFPA), which supports family planning and maternal and child health programs in more than 150 countries. The US had already cut funding to UNFPA last year.
“For United Nations entities, withdrawal means ceasing participation in or funding to those entities to the extent permitted by law,” the memo states. Trump has already significantly reduced voluntary US funding to most UN agencies.
A spokesperson for UN Secretary-General António Guterres did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
Trump’s Skepticism of Multilateral Institutions
The move reflects President Trump’s long-standing skepticism toward multilateral organizations, particularly the United Nations. He has repeatedly questioned their effectiveness, cost, and accountability, arguing that many international bodies do not adequately serve US interests.
Since beginning his second term a year ago, Trump has sharply reduced US financial support for the UN, withdrawn from the UN Human Rights Council, extended the suspension of funding for the Palestinian relief agency UNRWA, and exited the UN cultural agency UNESCO. He has also announced plans to withdraw from the World Health Organization and the Paris climate agreement.
Other organizations targeted for withdrawal include the UN Conference on Trade and Development, the International Energy Forum, the UN Register of Conventional Arms, and the UN Peacebuilding Commission.
The White House said the entities the US plans to leave promote what it described as “radical climate policies, global governance, and ideological programs that conflict with US sovereignty and economic strength.”
