US President Donald Trump has announced plans to withdraw from 66 United Nations bodies and international organisations, including major forums for cooperation on climate change, peace and democracy, Al Jazeera reported.
In a presidential memorandum released by the White House on Wednesday evening, Trump said the decision followed a review of organisations, conventions and treaties deemed “contrary to the interests of the United States”.
The list published by the White House includes 35 non-UN organisations, notably the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), the International Institute for Democracy and Electoral Assistance, and the International Union for Conservation of Nature.
Although the White House categorised the IPCC as a non-UN body, it is in fact a United Nations organisation that brings together leading scientists to assess climate change evidence and provide regular scientific reports to inform policymakers.
The White House also said the US would withdraw from 31 UN entities, including the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), the UN Democracy Fund, and the UN Population Fund (UNFPA), the UN’s lead agency on maternal and child health.
Several of the targeted UN bodies focus on protecting vulnerable groups during armed conflict, including the Office of the Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Children and Armed Conflict.
In a note to correspondents on Wednesday evening, UN spokesperson Stéphane Dujarric said the organisation expected to respond to the announcement by Thursday morning.
Despite publicly arguing for reduced US involvement in UN forums, Trump has continued to exert influence over international decision-making.
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