Trump Orders Withdrawal From Dozens of International Bodies

The United States will withdraw from dozens of international organizations and halt participation or funding to a wide range of United Nations entities after President Donald Trump issued a presidential memorandum on Wednesday, directing executive agencies to take immediate action.

The memorandum follows a review ordered under Executive Order 14199, signed on February 4, 2025, which required the Secretary of State to evaluate all international organizations, conventions, and treaties involving U.S. membership or support. The review was conducted in consultation with the U.S. representative to the United Nations.

According to the memorandum, the president reviewed the Secretary of State’s findings and, after consultation with Cabinet members, determined that continued participation in certain organizations was “contrary to the interests of the United States.”

The directive orders all executive departments and agencies to move as quickly as legally permitted to withdraw the United States from the listed organizations. For United Nations entities, withdrawal is defined as ceasing participation or funding to the extent allowed by law.

The memorandum identifies 35 non-UN organizations from which the U.S. will withdraw. These include the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, the International Renewable Energy Agency, the International Union for Conservation of Nature, the Freedom Online Coalition, the Global Counterterrorism Forum, and the Commission for Environmental Cooperation, among others.

It also directs withdrawal from 31 United Nations bodies and programs, including the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change, the UN Population Fund, UN Women, the UN Conference on Trade and Development, the Peacebuilding Commission and Fund, and several offices focused on children in armed conflict, gender-based violence, and African development.

The memorandum states that the review of international organizations is ongoing and that additional findings from the Secretary of State may lead to further action.