US President Donald Trump
United States (U.S) President, Donald Trump, has ordered the country’s withdrawal from 66 international organisations, citing concerns over cost, efficiency and what his administration describes as actions contrary to American interests.
The decision was confirmed in a press statement issued on Wednesday by U.S. Secretary of State, Marco Rubio, who said the move followed an administration-wide review conducted under Executive Order 14199. The review assessed global organisations in which the United States participates or provides funding.
Rubio said the Trump administration concluded that several of the organisations were either redundant, poorly managed, unnecessary, or actively undermining U.S. interests. Others, he noted, had become vehicles for ideological agendas that weaken national sovereignty while offering little measurable benefit to the American people.
“It is no longer acceptable to be sending these institutions the blood, sweat, and treasure of the American people, with little to nothing to show for it,” Rubio said.
According to the State Department, billions of dollars in U.S. taxpayer funds have for years gone to international bodies that deliver minimal results while advancing policies inconsistent with the administration’s priorities. Rubio said the decision signals an end to such spending.
Trump has directed all executive departments and agencies to take immediate steps to complete the withdrawal process from the affected organisations “as soon as possible.”
Of the 66 organisations listed, 31 are United Nations (UN) agencies, while 35 are non-UN bodies. Prominent among those affected are the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) and the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), which the White House says operate in ways that conflict with U.S. national interests.
Shortly after returning to office last January, Trump initiated the withdrawal of the United States from the World Health Organisation (WHO) and the Paris Climate Agreement. Weeks later, he signed an executive order pulling the U.S. out of the UN Human Rights Council (UNHRC) and barring any future funding for the UN Relief and Works Agency for the Near East (UNRWA).
The UNFCCC coordinates global climate action, including annual Conferences of the Parties (COP) and agreements such as the Paris Accord. Trump has repeatedly dismissed climate change concerns, describing them as a “scam.”
The UNFPA focuses on family planning, maternal health, and the fight against gender-based violence and harmful practices like child marriage. Historically, the United States has been one of its major donors, supporting programmes in more than 150 countries.
*EU condemns climate withdrawal*
The decision to pull out of the UNFCCC drew sharp criticism from the European Union, which described the move as a setback to global efforts to combat climate change.
The climate treaty, adopted in 1992, serves as the foundation for international cooperation aimed at reducing greenhouse gas emissions and adapting to the effects of climate change.
EU Climate Commissioner, Wopke Hoekstra, said the UNFCCC remains central to global climate action and collective responsibility.
“The decision by the world’s largest economy and second-largest emitter to retreat from it is regrettable and unfortunate,” Hoekstra said in a post on LinkedIn.
“We will unequivocally continue to support international climate research, as the foundation of our understanding and work. We will also continue to work on international climate cooperation.”
Trump, who has prioritised fossil fuels in his domestic energy policy, has consistently rejected the scientific consensus that human activity contributes to global warming, referring to climate science as a “hoax.”
His administration did not send a delegation to the most recent UN climate summit held in Brazil in November, which was organised under the UNFCCC framework.
EU Vice-President for the Clean Transition, Teresa Ribera, also criticised the decision, saying the Trump administration “doesn’t care” about the environment, public health or human suffering linked to climate change.
Despite the U.S. withdrawal, EU officials insist international cooperation on climate action will continue with other global partners.
