As part of an ongoing review of U.S. engagement with multilateral bodies, the United States is withdrawing from 66 international organisations the administration says no longer align with national interests. The policy follows Executive Order 14199, which directed a comprehensive assessment of U.S. membership and financial support for international organisations, conventions and treaties.
According to a White House memorandum, the United States will end participation and, where legally permissible, cease funding for 35 non‑United Nations bodies and 31 United Nations‑affiliated entities. Among the non‑UN organisations listed are the International Solar Alliance, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, the International Renewable Energy Agency, the Global Counterterrorism Forum, and the Freedom Online Coalition.
The UN‑related bodies from which the United States is withdrawing include the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), the UN Population Fund, UN Women, the UN Democracy Fund, the Peacebuilding Commission, and the Office of the Special Representative of the Secretary‑General for Children in Armed Conflict.
Administration officials said the review found the organisations to be “redundant in their scope, mismanaged, unnecessary, wasteful, poorly run, or advancing agendas inconsistent with U.S. interests.” The White House memorandum also stated these bodies were judged to “operate contrary to U.S. national interests, security, economic prosperity, or sovereignty.”
The memorandum directs executive departments and agencies to take steps to effectuate the withdrawals “as soon as possible,” and to continue reviewing other international organisations.
The decision continues a pattern of U.S. disengagement from multilateral institutions under the current administration. In previous months, the United States announced its departure from the World Health Organization, the United Nations Human Rights Council, and formal withdrawal from the Paris climate agreement, along with cuts to related funding.
U.S. officials have said the review is intended to prioritise engagements that serve domestic interests and conserve resources, though detailed financial figures for the withdrawals have not been released. The administration also indicated that in cases where international law or treaty obligations apply, formal procedures will be followed as required.
Responses from the affected organisations and other governments were not immediately available. The United Nations has previously stated that member states may still have legal obligations to pay assessed contributions to certain agencies despite withdrawal announcements.
