The President of the United States of America (USA), Donald Trump, has ordered the country’s withdrawal from 66 international organisations, 31 of which belong to the United Nations system, alleging that these entities “operate contrary to US national interests”, according to an official statement released by the White House and cited by UOL Notícias.
The decision was formalised through a proclamation signed on Wednesday, 7 January, and represents one of the most profound breaks in US foreign policy with the multilateral system, affecting bodies linked to climate, human rights, trade, labour, culture, energy and gender equality.
According to the US administration, most of the organisations targeted are associated with the United Nations (UN), covering areas that Donald Trump’s government classifies as linked to diversity initiatives and the so-called “woke” agenda, which focuses on policies and approaches related to racial and gender equality, social inclusion and minority rights.
Among the organisations from which the USA has withdrawn are UN Women (the United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women), dedicated to promoting women’s rights; the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, responsible for coordinating the global fight against climate change; the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development, focused on international trade and economic development; and the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, the scientific body that assesses the impacts of climate change.
The proclamation also includes organisations outside the UN system, such as the International Renewable Energy Agency, dedicated to promoting clean energy; the International Union for Conservation of Nature, focused on environmental protection; the International Tropical Timber Organization, which regulates sustainable timber trade; and the International Solar Alliance, aimed at expanding solar energy in developing countries.
Most of the organisations affected by the US withdrawal are associated with the United Nations.
Donald Trump’s government had previously suspended support for other multilateral institutions, including the World Health Organization, responsible for coordinating global public health; the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Middle East; the United Nations Human Rights Council, dedicated to protecting fundamental rights; and the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization.
This withdrawal represents a significant shift from the stance of previous US administrations, both Republican and Democratic, and has forced the UN itself — already undergoing an internal restructuring process — to implement staff and programme cuts across several areas of activity.
At the same time, several independent non-governmental organisations, some of them partners of the United Nations, reported the closure of projects following the US government’s decision last year to drastically reduce foreign aid through the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), the international cooperation agency that was later shut down by Donald Trump.
During his first presidential term, between 2017 and 2021, Donald Trump had already distanced the USA from several multilateral bodies. In July 2020, at the height of the covid-19 pandemic, he announced the country’s withdrawal from the World Health Organization.
At the time, Donald Trump accused the organisation of having been “pressured” by China to provide “misleading guidance” on covid-19, stating that “the world was suffering as a result of the misdeeds of the Chinese government”, a decision whose formal withdrawal was completed the following year.
See the full list of organisations from which the USA announced its withdrawal:
