BREAKING: U.S. Exits UN Climate Bodies, 66 International OrganizationsU.S. Exits UN Climate Bodies, 66 International Organizations
January 7, 2026Reading time: 9 minutes
Full Story:
The Associated Press with files from The Energy MixAuthor: Matthew Lee, Farnoush Amiri, Tammy Webber
UNclimatechange/Flickr
The UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) and the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) are among the 66 international organizations the United States is exiting under an executive order signed by Wednesday by Donald Trump.
The order suspends U.S. support for 66 organizations, agencies, and commissions, following the administration’s review of participation in and funding for all international organizations, including those affiliated with the United Nations. A White House memorandum
said the withdrawal affects organizations and treaties that are “contrary to the interests of the United States.”
“Not exactly a smart move leaving rulemaking to others,” Andreas Sieber, associate director of policy and campaigns with 350.org,
said on LinkedIn. “This will hurt the U.S. influence for decades.”
Many of the targets are UN-related agencies, commissions, and advisory panels that focus on climate, population, labour, migration and other issues the Trump administration has categorized as catering to diversity and “woke” initiatives, The Associated Press
reports. Other non-UN organizations on the list include the Partnership for Atlantic Cooperation, the International Institute for Democracy and Electoral Assistance, and the Global Counterterrorism Forum.
“The Trump administration has found these institutions to be redundant in their scope, mismanaged, unnecessary, wasteful, poorly run, captured by the interests of actors advancing their own agendas contrary to our own, or a threat to our nation’s sovereignty, freedoms, and general prosperity,” Secretary of State Marco Rubio said in a statement.
Trump’s decision to withdraw from organizations that foster cooperation among nations to address global challenges follows Saturday’s
military action against Venezuela and
accelerating threats aimed at Greenland, Colombia, Cuba, Mexico, and Canada.
Forfeiting Climate Influence
The withdrawal from the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (
UNFCCC) is the latest effort by Trump and his allies to distance the U.S. from international organizations focused on climate and addressing climate change.
The UNFCCC, the 1992 agreement between 198 countries to financially support climate change activities in developing countries, is the underlying treaty for the landmark Paris climate agreement. Trump—who calls climate change a hoax—withdrew from that agreement soon after reclaiming the White House.
Gina McCarthy, former White House National Climate Adviser, said being the only country in the world not part of the treaty is “shortsighted, embarrassing, and a foolish decision.”
“This administration is forfeiting our country’s ability to influence trillions of dollars in investments, policies, and decisions that would have advanced our economy and protected us from costly disasters wreaking havoc on our country,” McCarthy, who co-chairs America Is All In, a coalition of U.S. states and cities concerned about the climate crisis, said in a statement.
Settled science shows that
climate change is behind increasing instances of
deadly and costly extreme weather, including flooding, droughts,
wildfires,
intense rainfall events, and
dangerous heat, AP writes.
The U.S. withdrawal could hinder global efforts to curb greenhouse gases because it “gives other nations the excuse to delay their own actions and commitments,” said Stanford University climate scientist Rob Jackson, who chairs the Global Carbon Project, a group of scientists that tracks countries’ carbon dioxide emissions.
It will also be difficult to achieve meaningful progress on climate change without cooperation from the U.S., one of the world’s largest emitters and economies, experts said.
Building on a Pattern
The administration previously suspended support for agencies like the
World Health Organization, the UN Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) serving Palestinian refugees, the UN Human Rights Council, and
the UN cultural agency (UNESCO). It has taken a larger, à la carte
approach to paying dues to the world body,
picking which operations and agencies it believes align with Trump’s agenda and those that no longer
serve U.S. interests.
“I think what we’re seeing is the crystallization of the U.S. approach to multilateralism, which is ‘my way or the highway,’” said Daniel Forti, head of UN affairs at the International Crisis Group. “It’s a very clear vision of wanting international cooperation on Washington’s own terms.”
The moves mark a major shift from how previous administrations—both Republican and Democratic—have dealt with the UN, and it has forced the world body, already undergoing its
own internal reckoning, to respond with a
series of staffing and program cuts.
Independent non-governmental agencies—including some that work with the United Nations—
have cited many project closures because of the U.S. administration’s decision last year to slash foreign assistance through the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID). The Washington- and London-based Center for Global Development
estimates the impact of the USAID cuts at 500,000 to a million lives lost, with more to follow in the years ahead.
Despite the massive shift, AP writes, Trump administration officials say they see the potential of the UN and want to instead
focus taxpayer money on expanding American influence in many of the standard-setting UN initiatives where there is competition with China, like the International Telecommunications Union, the International Maritime Organization, and the International Labor Organization.
The UN Population Fund, the agency providing sexual and reproductive health worldwide, has long been a lightning rod for Republican opposition, and Trump cut funding for it during his first term. He and other GOP officials have accused the agency of participating in “coercive abortion practices” in countries like China.
When President Joe Biden took office in January 2021, he restored funding for the agency. A State Department review conducted the following year found no evidence to support GOP claims.
Here is a list of all the agencies that the U.S. is exiting, according to the White House:
Non-UN organizations
— 24/7 Carbon-Free Energy Compact
— Colombo Plan Council
— Commission for Environmental Cooperation
— Education Cannot Wait
— European Centre of Excellence for Countering Hybrid Threats
— Forum of European National Highway Research Laboratories
— Freedom Online Coalition
— Global Community Engagement and Resilience Fund
— Global Counterterrorism Forum
— Global Forum on Cyber Expertise
— Global Forum on Migration and Development
— Inter-American Institute for Global Change Research
— Intergovernmental Forum on Mining, Minerals, Metals, and Sustainable Development
— Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change
— Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services
— International Centre for the Study of the Preservation and Restoration of Cultural Property
— International Cotton Advisory Committee
— International Development Law Organization
— International Energy Forum
— International Federation of Arts Councils and Culture Agencies
— International Institute for Democracy and Electoral Assistance
— International Institute for Justice and the Rule of Law
— International Lead and Zinc Study Group
— International Renewable Energy Agency
— International Solar Alliance
— International Tropical Timber Organization
— International Union for Conservation of Nature
— Pan American Institute of Geography and History
— Partnership for Atlantic Cooperation
— Regional Cooperation Agreement on Combating Piracy and Armed Robbery against Ships in Asia
— Regional Cooperation Council
— Renewable Energy Policy Network for the 21st Century
— Science and Technology Center in Ukraine
— Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environment Programme
— Venice Commission of the Council of Europe
United Nations Organizations
— Department of Economic and Social Affairs
— UN Economic and Social Council, or ECOSOC — Economic Commission for Africa
— ECOSOC — Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean
— ECOSOC — Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific
— ECOSOC — Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia
— International Law Commission
— International Residual Mechanism for Criminal Tribunals
— International Trade Centre
— Office of the Special Adviser on Africa
— Office of the Special Representative of the secretary-general for Children in Armed Conflict
— Office of the Special Representative of the Secretary-General on Sexual Violence in Conflict
— Office of the Special Representative of the Secretary-General on Violence Against Children
— Peacebuilding Commission
— Peacebuilding Fund
— Permanent Forum on People of African Descent
— UN Alliance of Civilizations
— UN Collaborative Programme on Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation in Developing Countries
— UN Conference on Trade and Development
— UN Democracy Fund
— UN Energy
— UN Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women
— UN Framework Convention on Climate Change
— UN Human Settlements Programme
— UN Institute for Training and Research
— UN Oceans
— UN Population Fund
— UN Register of Conventional Arms
— UN System Chief Executives Board for Coordination
— UN System Staff College
— UN Water
— UN University
The main body of this story is based on two Associated Press dispatches that were republished Jan. 7 by The Canadian Press.
