Key Points
- Trump administration withdraws US from 66 international organizations, 35 non-UN bodies and 31 UN entities
- Major climate exits include IPCC, International Solar Alliance, UNFCCC, and International Renewable Energy Agency
- Secretary of State Marco Rubio calls organizations “anti-American, useless, or wasteful”
- Withdrawals include UN Population Fund, UN Women, UN Energy, UN Water, and Peacebuilding Commission
- Decision follows earlier 2025 exits from WHO and UNESCO
- Review of additional organizations still ongoing
US President Donald Trump signed a sweeping presidential memorandum on Wednesday, directing the withdrawal of the United States from 66 international organizations, conventions, and treaties that his administration considers “contrary to American interests”. This historic decision represents one of the largest rollbacks of US engagement with multilateral institutions in recent years, effectively severing ties with key forums dealing with international security, law, trade, economics, human rights, and climate action.
The withdrawal encompasses 35 non-UN organizations and 31 United Nations-affiliated entities, which the White House has characterized as “anti-American,” “ineffective,” “wasteful,” or redundant. The memorandum instructs all executive departments and agencies to take immediate steps to complete the withdrawal process as quickly as possible, with UN entities facing cessation of US participation and funding to the extent permitted by law.
Climate and Energy Bodies Face Major US Exit
Among the most significant withdrawals are major climate and environmental organizations, including the India and France-led International Solar Alliance (ISA), the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), and the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN). The US exit from the IPCC, the world’s leading scientific body studying global warming, means the nation will no longer help guide the scientific assessments that inform climate policy worldwide, though individual US scientists may still contribute.
Other climate, energy, and environmental bodies affected include the International Renewable Energy Agency, the International Energy Forum, the 24/7 Carbon-Free Energy Compact, and the Inter-American Institute for Global Change Research. This move comes after the Trump administration last year fired hundreds of scientists working on the congressionally mandated National Climate Assessment and removed the website housing previous assessments.
Rubio Defends Withdrawal, Cites Wasteful Spending
Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced the decision on social media, stating that President Trump had directed the withdrawal from organizations that work against American interests or are unnecessarily expensive. “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 remarked, emphasizing that many groups were “overrun by progressive ideology,” particularly regarding gender equality and climate change issues.
Rubio described the withdrawal as fulfilling a key promise Trump made to Americans, declaring, “We will stop subsidizing globalist bureaucrats who act against our interests”. He added that the administration will not continue “expending resources, diplomatic capital, and the legitimizing weight of our participation in institutions that are irrelevant to or in conflict with our interests,” while seeking cooperation only where it serves the American people.
Major UN Agencies Lose US Support
The UN-affiliated organizations from which the US is withdrawing include the Department of Economic and Social Affairs, the International Law Commission, the International Trade Centre, the Peacebuilding Commission, UN Energy, UN Population Fund, UN Women, and UN Water. The Trump administration determined after reviewing Secretary Rubio’s findings and consulting with the Cabinet that continued participation in or support to these organizations was contrary to US national and economic interests.
This withdrawal follows previous exits by the Trump administration, including the departure from the World Health Organization (WHO) in January 2025 over its handling of the COVID-19 pandemic, and UNESCO in July 2025, with the administration arguing that continued membership was not in the national interest. The decision coincides with recent military initiatives and threats that have unsettled both allies and adversaries, such as the capture of Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro and the expressed interest in acquiring Greenland.
Based on the available information, here is the complete list of all 66 organizations from which the United States withdrew:
Non-UN Organizations (35 total)
- 24/7 Carbon-Free Energy Compact
- Colombo Plan Council
- Commission for Environmental Cooperation
- Community of Democracies
- Education Cannot Wait
- European Centre of Excellence for Countering Hybrid Threats
- Food and Agriculture Organization Treaty Bodies
- Global Counterterrorism Forum
- Global Forum on Migration and Development
- Inter-American Institute for Global Change Research
- Intergovernmental Forum on Mining, Minerals, Metals and Sustainable Development
- Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC)
- International Centre for the Study of the Preservation and Restoration of Cultural Property
- International Cotton Advisory Committee
- International Development Law Organization
- International Energy Forum
- International Federation of Arts Councils and Culture Agencies
- International Institute for Democracy and Electoral Assistance
- International Institute for Justice and the Rule of Law
- International Lead and Zinc Study Group
- International Renewable Energy Agency
- International Solar Alliance
- International Tropical Timber Organization
- International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN)
- Migration Dialogue for Southern Africa
- Pan American Institute of Geography and History
- Partnership for Atlantic Cooperation
- Regional Cooperation Agreement on Combating Piracy and Armed Robbery against Ships in Asia
- Regional Cooperation Council
- Renewable Energy Policy Network for the 21st Century
- Science and Technology Center in Ukraine
- Southeast European Cooperative Initiative
- UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC)
- United Nations Conference on Trade and Development
- United Nations University
UN-Affiliated Organizations (31 total)
- Department of Economic and Social Affairs
- UN Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC), Economic Commission for Africa
- ECOSOC, Economic Commission for Europe
- ECOSOC, Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean
- ECOSOC, Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific
- ECOSOC, Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia
- International Law Commission
- International Residual Mechanism for Criminal Tribunals
- International Trade Centre
- Office of the Special Adviser on Africa
- Office of the Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Children in Armed Conflict
- Office of the Special Representative of the Secretary-General on Sexual Violence in Conflict
- Peacebuilding Commission
- Peacebuilding Fund
- Peacebuilding Support Office
- Special Rapporteur on the Right to Development
- UN Action for Cooperation Against Trafficking in Persons
- UN Alliance of Civilizations
- UN Capital Development Fund
- UN Democracy Fund
- UN Development Programme
- UN Energy
- UN Human Settlements Programme (UN-Habitat)
- UN Office for Partnerships
- UN Office for South-South Cooperation
- UN Population Fund
- UN Volunteers
- UN Water
- UN Women
- World Urban Forum
- Working Group of Experts on People of African Descent
The withdrawal covers organizations focused on climate change, energy, development, governance, migration, gender policy, human rights, economic development, and peacebuilding initiatives.
