US Begins Mass Withdrawal From International Organisations

The White House issued a presidential memorandum on Wednesday directing United States (US) government departments and agencies to withdraw from 66 international organisations and United Nations-linked entities that it said “no longer serve American interests”.

The memorandum orders agencies to stop participating in and funding 35 non-United Nations (UN) organisations and 31 UN entities which the White House said “operate contrary to US national interests, security, economic prosperity, or sovereignty”. The memorandum instructs agencies to “take immediate steps” to implement the withdrawals.

A large share of the bodies targeted relate to climate, energy, and environmental governance. The non-UN list includes the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, the International Renewable Energy Agency, the International Solar Alliance, the International Union for Conservation of Nature, the Commission for Environmental Co-operation, and the Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environment Programme. The UN organsations include the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change, alongside a programme focused on reducing emissions from deforestation and forest degradation.

The pullback also extends into migration, development, and social policy. The non-UN list includes the Global Forum on Migration and Development. The UN list includes bodies such as UN Women and the UN Population Fund, as well as several offices and programmes tied to economic and social affairs, development, and related policy work.

The White House said the withdrawals will “end American taxpayer funding and involvement in entities that advance globalist agendas over US priorities”. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said, “Today, President Trump announced the US is leaving 66 anti-American, useless, or wasteful international organisations.”

The administration said the immediate effect would be to stop US participation and funding, while the longer-term impact would be felt in the forums the US is leaving, especially climate negotiations, renewable energy co-ordination, and UN-linked development and governance platforms where rules and standards are set.

Analysts have welcomed the decision saying that many of the institutions had been turned against the interests of Western liberal democracies and behaved in a fashion that undermined their values, national security, and the competitiveness of their economies.