President Donald Trump has directed the United States to withdraw from 66 international organisations, including major UN agencies and climate bodies, in a sweeping move that has sparked global backlash.
The order, signed on Wednesday after a State Department review, affects 31 UN agencies and 35 non-UN groups, notably the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), UN Population Fund (UNFPA), UN Women, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), UNESCO and the International Renewable Energy Agency.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the organisations were “wasteful, mismanaged and driven by progressive ideology,” insisting US taxpayer money would no longer fund bodies that “undermine American sovereignty.”
The European Union condemned the decision, with EU climate chief Wopke Hoekstra calling the US withdrawal from the UNFCCC “regrettable,” warning it weakens the global fight against climate change.
Legal experts say pulling out of the UN climate treaty — ratified by the US Senate in 1992 — could face court challenges, as the constitution is unclear on whether a president can unilaterally exit such agreements.
