The United States government has announced its withdrawal from 66 international organisations, conventions, and treaties, arguing that continued participation in these bodies is contrary to the country’s national interests. President Donald Trump signed a memorandum directing these withdrawals on Wednesday, January 7. Trump invokes his constitutional authority and other law to direct executive departments and agencies to implement the withdrawals. The organisations, 31 of which are UN entities, no longer serve American interests, the White House said. The memorandum follows an executive order, issued in February 2025, which ordered the withdrawal of the United States from certain United Nations organisations, the termination of funding to those entities, and a comprehensive review of US participation in all international intergovernmental organisations, conventions, and treaties. The executive order directed the Secretary of State, in consultation with the United States Representative to the United Nations, to determine which organisations and agreements were contrary to US interests. According to the White House, the Secretary of State submitted his findings and after reviewing the report and consulting members of his Cabinet, President Trump concluded that continued membership, participation, or financial support for the organisations listed in the memorandum was not in the interests of the United States. The President then directed all executive departments and agencies to take immediate steps to effect the withdrawals as soon as possible, in line with applicable law and subject to the availability of appropriations. For UN entities, withdrawal is defined as ceasing participation in or funding to those bodies to the extent permitted by law. The memorandum further notes that the review of additional organisations remains ongoing and that the Secretary of State will issue further guidance where necessary. It also clarifies that the directive does not override statutory authority granted to executive departments or affect the functions of the Office of Management and Budget, and that it does not create any legally enforceable rights. The memorandum is to be published in the Federal Register. UN bodies affected by the decision The memorandum identifies a wide range of United Nations bodies from which the United States will withdraw. These include the Department of Economic and Social Affairs and several bodies operating under the UN Economic and Social Council, namely the Economic Commission for Africa, the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean, the Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific, and the Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia. Other affected UN entities include the International Law Commission, the International Residual Mechanism for Criminal Tribunals, the International Trade Centre, and the Office of the Special Adviser on Africa, a UN office within the Secretariat mandated to support Africa’s development, peace, and security through policy advice, advocacy, coordination and monitoring. The United States will also withdraw from the Office of the Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Children and Armed Conflict, the Office of the Special Representative of the Secretary-General on Sexual Violence in Conflict, the Office of the Special Representative of the Secretary-General on Violence Against Children, the Peacebuilding Commission, the Peacebuilding Fund, and the Permanent Forum on People of African Descent. Other UN bodies affected by the decision include the UN Alliance of Civilizations, the UN Collaborative Programme on Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation in Developing Countries, the UN Conference on Trade and Development, the UN Democracy Fund, UN-Energy, the UN Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women, the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change, the UN Human Settlements Programme, the UN Institute for Training and Research, UN-Oceans, the UN Population Fund, the UN Register of Conventional Arms, the UN System Chief Executives Board for Coordination, the UN System Staff College, UN-Water and the UN University. Non-UN Organisations affected by the withdrawal Beside UN bodies affected there are numerous also non UN organisations, among the organisations affected by the withdrawal are the 24/7 Carbon-Free Energy Compact, the Colombo Plan Council, the Commission for Environmental Cooperation, Education Cannot Wait, the European Centre of Excellence for Countering Hybrid Threats, the Forum of European National Highway Research Laboratories, the Freedom Online Coalition, the Global Community Engagement and Resilience Fund, the Global Counterterrorism Forum and the Global Forum on Cyber Expertise. Other affected bodies include the Global Forum on Migration and Development, the Inter-American Institute for Global Change Research, the Intergovernmental Forum on Mining, Minerals, Metals and Sustainable Development, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, and the Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services. Additional non-UN organisations listed in the memorandum include the International Centre for the Study of the Preservation and Restoration of Cultural Property, the International Cotton Advisory Committee, the International Development Law Organization, the International Energy Forum, the International Federation of Arts Councils and Culture Agencies, the International Institute for Democracy and Electoral Assistance, the International Institute for Justice and the Rule of Law, the International Lead and Zinc Study Group, the International Renewable Energy Agency, the International Solar Alliance, the International Tropical Timber Organization, the International Union for Conservation of Nature, the Pan American Institute of Geography and History, the Partnership for Atlantic Cooperation and the Regional Cooperation Agreement on Combating Piracy and Armed Robbery against Ships in Asia. The list of affected non-UN entities further includes the Regional Cooperation Council, the Renewable Energy Policy Network for the 21st Century, the Science and Technology Center in Ukraine, the Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environment Programme, and the Venice Commission of the Council of Europe.
