Trump orders US withdrawal from 66 global organisations
US President Donald Trump has ordered the country’s withdrawal from 66 international organisations, which the White House says operate against America’s national interests.
Of the organisations listed, 31 are affiliated with the United Nations (UN), while 35 are non-UN bodies.
The directive was signed on Wednesday following a review earlier this year in which Trump instructed the US State Department to assess all international intergovernmental organisations, conventions and treaties to which the United States is a party.
Trump directed all executive departments and agencies to take immediate steps to withdraw from the organisations “as soon as possible”.
Among the affected bodies are the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) and the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC).
UNFPA supports access to family planning, maternal healthcare and efforts to end gender-based violence and harmful practices such as child marriage. The United States has historically been a major donor to the agency, funding programmes in more than 150 countries.
The UNFCCC coordinates global climate action, including annual climate conferences and agreements such as the Paris Accord. Trump has repeatedly described climate change as a “scam”.
In a separate statement, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the Trump administration concluded that the organisations were “redundant in their scope, mismanaged, unnecessary, wasteful, poorly run, captured by the interests of actors advancing their own agendas”.
“The days of billions of dollars in taxpayer money flowing to foreign interests at the expense of our people are over,” Rubio said.
Since returning to office in January, Trump has moved quickly to roll back US engagement with multilateral institutions. He initiated the withdrawal of the United States from the World Health Organisation (WHO) and the Paris Climate Agreement shortly after his inauguration.
Weeks later, he signed an executive order pulling the US out of the UN Human Rights Council (UNHRC) and banning any future funding for the UN Relief and Works Agency for the Near East (UNRWA).
The White House also released a full list of the 66 organisations affected by the withdrawal order.
UN organisations
Department of Economic and Social Affairs
UN Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) — Economic Commission for Africa
Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean
Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific
Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia
International Law Commission
International Residual Mechanism for Criminal Tribunals
International Trade Centre
Office of the Special Adviser on Africa
Office of the Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Children in Armed Conflict
Office of the Special Representative of the Secretary-General on Sexual Violence in Conflict
Office of the Special Representative of the Secretary-General on Violence Against Children
Peacebuilding Commission
Peacebuilding Fund
Permanent Forum on People of African Descent
UN Alliance of Civilisations
UN Collaborative Programme on Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation in Developing Countries
UN Conference on Trade and Development
UN Democracy Fund
UN Energy
UN Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women
UN Framework Convention on Climate Change
UN Human Settlements Programme
UN Institute for Training and Research
UN Oceans
UN Population Fund
UN Register of Conventional Arms
UN System Chief Executives Board for Coordination
UN System Staff College
UN Water
UN University
Non-UN organisations
24/7 Carbon-Free Energy Compact
Colombo Plan Council
Commission for Environmental Cooperation
Education Cannot Wait
European Centre of Excellence for Countering
Forum of European National Highway Research Laboratories
Freedom Online Coalition
Global Community Engagement and Resilience Fund
Global Counterterrorism Forum
Global Forum on Cyber Expertise
Global Forum on Migration and Development
Inter-American Institute for Global Change Research
Intergovernmental Forum on Mining, Minerals, Metals, and Sustainable Development
Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change
Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services
International Centre for the Study of the Preservation and Restoration of Cultural Property
International Cotton Advisory Committee
International Development Law Organization
International Energy Forum
International Federation of Arts Councils and Culture Agencies
International Institute for Democracy and Electoral Assistance
International Institute for Justice and the Rule of Law
International Lead and Zinc Study Group
International Renewable Energy Agency
International Solar Alliance
International Tropical Timber Organization
International Union for Conservation of Nature
Pan American Institute of Geography and History
Partnership for Atlantic Cooperation
Regional Cooperation Agreement on Combatting Piracy and Armed Robbery against Ships in Asia
Regional Cooperation Council
Renewable Energy Policy Network for the 21st Century
Science and Technology Center in Ukraine
Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environment Programme
Venice Commission of the Council of Europe
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