Trump moves to pull US out of dozens of UN bodies, accelerating a retreat from global governance

United States President Donald Trump has announced plans to withdraw the US from 66 United Nations and international organisations, targeting major forums that coordinate global action on climate change, democracy, health and human rights.

In a presidential memorandum released by the White House on Wednesday evening, Trump said the move followed a review of which “organizations, conventions, and treaties are contrary to the interests of the United States”.

The decision would see Washington end its participation in the listed bodies and cut all US funding to them.

According to the document, the US would exit 35 non-UN organisations, including the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, the International Institute for Democracy and Electoral Assistance and the International Union for Conservation of Nature.

The White House classified the IPCC as a non-UN body, although it is in fact a UN-linked scientific panel that brings together leading climate researchers to assess evidence on climate change and provide assessments for policymakers.

In addition, the administration said it would withdraw from 31 UN entities, including the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change, the UN Democracy Fund, and the UN Population Fund, the UN’s main body focused on maternal and child health.

Several of the affected UN offices are directly involved in protecting vulnerable populations in conflict zones, including the Office of the Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Children in Armed Conflict.

In a note to correspondents, UN spokesperson Stephane Dujarric said the organisation expected to issue a response by Thursday morning.

The announcement deepens a pattern that has defined Trump’s second term: publicly distancing the US from multilateral institutions while aggressively shaping outcomes inside them.

Last October, Trump threatened sanctions against diplomats who backed a levy on polluting shipping fuels, despite the measure having already been agreed at an earlier meeting, effectively freezing the deal for a year.

His administration has also sanctioned UN special rapporteur Francesca Albanese after she published a report detailing the role of international and US companies in Israel’s war on Gaza.

During his first term, Trump warned countries that backing a UN resolution condemning the US recognition of Jerusalem as Israel’s capital could cost them US aid.

At the same time, Washington continues to wield immense leverage at the UN. As a permanent member of the Security Council, the US holds veto power and repeatedly used it to block resolutions aimed at ending Israel’s war on Gaza before eventually mediating a ceasefire late last year.

Since returning to office in January last year, Trump has already withdrawn the US from the World Health Organization, the Paris climate agreement and the UN Human Rights Council. All three withdrawals had occurred during his first presidency and were later reversed under former President Joe Biden.

The exit from the WHO is set to take effect on January 22, 2026, one year after it was formally ordered. Between 2024 and 2025, the US contributed $261m to the organisation, roughly 18 percent of its total funding, supporting work on issues ranging from tuberculosis to pandemic preparedness.

The Trump administration has also continued a US funding ban on the UN agency for Palestinian refugees, UNRWA, a policy first imposed under Biden.