Trump to withdraw US from 35 non-UN groups, 31 UN entities

WASHINGTON – U.S. President Donald Trump announced on Wednesday that the United States will withdraw from dozens of international and United Nations entities, including a major climate treaty and a U.N. agency that promotes gender equality and women’s empowerment. Trump cited that these organizations “operate contrary to U.S. national interests.”

In a memo to senior administration officials, Trump listed 35 non-U.N. groups and 31 U.N. entities, including the U.N. Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), widely regarded as the “bedrock” climate treaty and the parent agreement to the 2015 Paris climate deal.

The United States skipped last year’s annual U.N. international climate summit 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.

“Every other nation is a member, in part because they recognize that even beyond the moral imperative of addressing climate change, having a seat at the table in those negotiations represents an ability to shape massive economic policy and opportunity,” Bapna added.

The U.S. will also exit UN Women, which works to advance gender equality and empower women, as well as the U.N. Population Fund (UNFPA), which focuses on family planning and maternal and child health in over 150 countries. Last year, the U.S. had already cut funding to the UNFPA.

“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 funding for most U.N. agencies.

A spokesperson for U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

Trump’s Wariness of Multilateral Organizations

Trump’s decision reflects his longstanding skepticism toward multilateral institutions, particularly the United Nations. He has repeatedly questioned the effectiveness, cost, and accountability of international bodies, arguing that they often fail to serve U.S. interests.

Since the start of his second term a year ago, Trump has sought to cut U.S. funding for the United Nations, ended U.S. engagement with the U.N. Human Rights Council, continued the funding freeze for the Palestinian relief agency UNRWA, and withdrawn from UNESCO. He has also announced plans to exit the World Health Organization and the Paris climate agreement.

Other entities 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 dozens of organizations targeted for withdrawal promote “radical climate policies, global governance, and ideological programs that conflict with U.S. sovereignty and economic strength.”

“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 best allocated in other ways to support the relevant missions,” the White House said in a statement.

-Reporting by Jasper Ward and Valerie Volcovici in Washington, Michelle Nichols in New York; Editing by Caitlin Webber, Rod Nickel, and Michael Perry/Reuters