Trump set to pull US out of dozens of UN and global bodies
US President Donald Trump has announced plans to withdraw the United States from 66 United Nations and international organisations, cutting funding and ending participation in bodies focused on climate change, democracy, health and human rights.
In a presidential memo released by the White House on Wednesday night, Trump said the move followed a review of organisations and treaties deemed to be “contrary to the interests of the United States”.
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The decision would see the US stop taking part in the organisations and end all financial contributions to them.
The list includes 35 non-UN organisations, such as the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, which brings together scientists to assess climate change, as well as groups focused on democracy and environmental protection.
It also includes 31 UN bodies, among them the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change, the UN Democracy Fund and the UN Population Fund, which works on maternal and child health.
Other affected UN offices focus on protecting vulnerable groups during war, including children caught in armed conflict.
A UN spokesperson said the organisation expected to respond to the announcement by Thursday.
While Trump has often criticised the United Nations and called for less US involvement, he has continued to use American influence to shape outcomes at the global body.
During his previous term, Trump threatened sanctions against diplomats over climate and shipping agreements, cut funding to UN agencies, and warned countries that voted against US positions they could lose American aid.
Since returning to office, Trump has already withdrawn the US from the World Health Organization, the Paris climate agreement and the UN Human Rights Council. He had previously pulled out of the same bodies during his first term, before those decisions were reversed under former president Joe Biden.
The US exit from the World Health Organization is set to take effect in January 2026. The US had been one of the WHO’s biggest funders, contributing hundreds of millions of dollars each year.
The Trump administration has also continued a ban on US funding to the UN agency for Palestinian refugees, UNRWA.