The White House has said President Donald Trump has signed a presidential memorandum directing the United States to withdraw from 66 international organisations and to end US participation and funding.
According to a White House fact sheet dated 7 January, the memorandum instructs federal departments and agencies to cease involvement in 35 non-United Nations organisations and 31 UN entities, which the administration says operate contrary to US national interests, security, economic prosperity or sovereignty.
In a statement the White House press office said many of the organisations in question promote “radical climate policies, global governance and ideological programmes” that conflict with US sovereignty and economic strength.
The White House has not published a complete list of the 66 organisations. It said the withdrawals include the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) and the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), both central to global climate diplomacy and scientific assessment.
Other affected bodies include UN agencies and programmes linked to development and population policy, including the UN Population Fund (UNFPA), as well as the UN Democracy Fund and the Office of the Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Children and Armed Conflict. The memorandum also covers non-UN organisations such as the International Institute for Democracy and Electoral Assistance (International IDEA) and the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN).
In its fact sheet, the White House framed the decision as part of a broader effort to reduce what it described as costly and ineffective international commitments. The document said the withdrawals followed an earlier review of international intergovernmental organisations, conventions and treaties that the US is a member of or supports financially.
The White House also linked the memorandum to a sequence of earlier actions since Mr Trump returned to office. It said the administration had initiated withdrawal from the World Health Organization and the Paris climate agreement, and later signed an executive order withdrawing the US from the UN Human Rights Council while prohibiting future funding for the UN Relief and Works Agency for the Near East (UNRWA).
Tthe administration argues the measures are intended to redirect US taxpayer funds and concentrate American influence on priorities tied to strategic competition, including with China. The same report noted that critics and analysts warned that leaving multilateral forums could reduce US leverage on global issues and remove American officials from decision-making structures that shape international standards and programmes.
With the full list of organisations not yet publicly confirmed by the White House, the practical effects are likely to become clearer as departments implement the directive and as international bodies assess the impact of a US departure on budgets, governance and ongoing projects.
