Washington leaves 66 international groups, citing sovereignty and mismanagement

The Trump administration is suspending U.S. participation in 66 international organisations, including the U.N. Population Fund and the U.N. Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), as part of a sweeping retreat from multilateral cooperation. 

According to US media, President Donald Trump signed an executive order on January 7 after a full review of U.S. engagement in global bodies, most of which are U.N.-affiliated entities working on climate, labour, migration, and other areas the administration labels as promoting “woke” agendas. 

The list also includes non-U.N. bodies such as the Partnership for Atlantic Cooperation, the International Institute for Democracy and Electoral Assistance, and the Global Counterterrorism Forum.

The State Department said these organisations are redundant, mismanaged, or contrary to U.S. interests and sovereignty. The decision comes as the administration has taken hard-line foreign-policy steps, including the capture of Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro and signalling intentions to take control of Greenland.

This marks the latest in a series of withdrawals from international agencies, following earlier cuts to the World Health Organisation, UNRWA, the U.N. Human Rights Council, and UNESCO. Analysts say Washington’s approach has shifted toward selective engagement on its own terms, forcing the U.N. to scale back staff and programs. Numerous NGOs report project closures tied to the administration’s earlier reductions in USAID funding.

Despite these exits, U.S. officials say they aim to redirect funding toward areas where they seek to counter China’s influence, including the International Telecommunications Union, the International Maritime Organisation, and the International Labour Organisation.

Leaving the UNFCCC further distances the U.S. from global climate efforts. The treaty underpins the Paris Agreement, which Trump exited upon returning to office, calling climate change a hoax. Critics, including former U.S. climate adviser Gina McCarthy, called the move shortsighted and damaging to U.S. influence. Climate scientists warn that U.S. withdrawal could slow global emissions reductions and weaken international commitments, given America’s role as one of the world’s largest emitters.

The administration is also ending support for the U.N. Population Fund, long opposed by Republicans who accuse it of involvement in coercive abortion practices — a claim a State Department review found unsubstantiated after President Joe Biden restored funding in 2021.

Additional departures include the Carbon Free Energy Compact, United Nations University, the International Cotton Advisory Committee, the International Tropical Timber Organisation, the Pan-American Institute for Geography and History, the International Federation of Arts Councils and Culture Agencies, and the International Lead and Zinc Study Group. The State Department said further reviews remain underway.

By Tamilla Hasanova