President Donald Trump has ordered the United States to withdraw from 66 United Nations agencies and international organisations, a sweeping move that would significantly reduce Washington’s participation in global efforts on climate change, democracy, public health, and conflict protection.
The decision was laid out in a presidential memorandum released by the White House on Wednesday evening, following what Trump described as a review of which “organizations, conventions, and treaties are contrary to the interests of the United States”. Under the directive, the US would not only end its participation in the targeted bodies but also terminate all financial contributions to them.
According to the list provided by the White House, 35 of the affected entities are classified as non-UN organisations.
Among them are the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), the International Institute for Democracy and Electoral Assistance, and the International Union for Conservation of Nature. Although the IPCC was listed as a non-UN body, it operates under the UN system and plays a central role in coordinating global scientific assessments on climate change to guide policymakers.
The administration also announced plans to withdraw from 31 UN entities, including the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), the UN Democracy Fund, and the UN Population Fund (UNFPA), which focuses on maternal and child health worldwide.
Several of the organisations on the list are directly involved in protecting vulnerable populations during armed conflicts, such as the UN Office of the Special Representative of the Secretary General for Children in Armed Conflict.
UN spokesperson Stephane Dujarric said in a note to correspondents that the organisation expected to issue a response to the announcement by Thursday morning.
Despite Trump’s public stance favoring reduced US involvement in multilateral forums, his administration has continued to exert influence over international decision-making. In October last year, Trump threatened sanctions against diplomats who formally adopted a levy on polluting shipping fuels, a move that stalled implementation of the measure for a year.
The administration also sanctioned UN special rapporteur Francesca Albanese after she released a report detailing the involvement of international and US companies in Israel’s genocidal war on Gaza.
Trump has previously used US leverage at the UN to shape outcomes. In 2017, he warned that countries supporting a draft resolution condemning the US recognition of Jerusalem as Israel’s capital could face cuts to American aid.
As a permanent member of the UN Security Council, the United States retains veto power, which it has repeatedly used to block resolutions aimed at ending Israel’s war on Gaza, before later mediating a ceasefire late last year.
Since beginning his second term in January last year, Trump has already withdrawn the US from the World Health Organization (WHO), the Paris climate agreement, and the UN Human Rights Council. All three withdrawals had also occurred during his first administration but were later reversed under former President Joe Biden.
The withdrawal from the WHO is scheduled to take effect on January 22, 2026, one year after the order was issued, marking one of the most consequential shifts yet in US engagement with global institutions.
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