The United States (US) has announced its withdrawal from 66 international organisations, including the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC).
President Donald Trump signed an executive order on Wednesday suspending US participation and funding for dozens of agencies, many of them linked to the United Nations.
Trump's decision indicates one of the most sweeping retreats from multilateral institutions by Washington in recent decades.
Defending the move, Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the administration had concluded that many of the bodies were “redundant, 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.”
Particular attention has focused on the withdrawal from the UNFCCC, the treaty that underpins the Paris climate agreement.
Gina McCarthy, former White House national climate adviser, described the decision as “shortsighted, embarrassing, and foolish”, arguing that it would strip the United States of influence over major global investment and policy decisions tied to climate action.
“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,” she said.
Rob Jackson, a climate scientist at Stanford University, said the US exit risked weakening international resolve to cut greenhouse gas emissions.
Jackson cautioned that it could provide other countries with justification to delay or dilute their own climate commitments.
Mainstream scientific research has repeatedly linked climate change to more frequent and severe extreme weather events, including floods, droughts, wildfires and prolonged heatwaves, according to reports.
Analysts note that meaningful global progress will be harder to achieve without the participation of the United States, one of the world’s largest emitters of greenhouse gases.
Beyond climate-focused bodies, the withdrawal covers a broad range of organisations involved in development, security, education, human rights and energy.
The affected organisations are:
1. 24/7 Carbon-Free Energy Compact
2. Colombo Plan Council
3. Commission for Environmental Cooperation
4. Education Cannot Wait
5. European Centre of Excellence for Countering Hybrid Threats
6. Forum of European National Highway Research Laboratories
7. Freedom Online Coalition
8. Global Community Engagement and Resilience Fund
9. Global Counterterrorism Forum
10. Global Forum on Cyber Expertise
11. Global Forum on Migration and Development
12. Inter-American Institute for Global Change Research
13. Intergovernmental Forum on Mining, Minerals, Metals, and Sustainable Development
14. Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change
15. Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services
16. International Centre for the Study of the Preservation and Restoration of Cultural Property
17. International Cotton Advisory Committee
18. International Development Law Organization
19. International Energy Forum
20. International Federation of Arts Councils and Culture Agencies
21. International Institute for Democracy and Electoral Assistance
22. International Institute for Justice and the Rule of Law
23. International Lead and Zinc Study Group
24. International Renewable Energy Agency
25. International Solar Alliance
26. International Tropical Timber Organization
27. International Union for Conservation of Nature
28. Pan American Institute of Geography and History
29. Partnership for Atlantic Cooperation
30. Regional Cooperation Agreement on Combating Piracy and Armed Robbery against Ships in Asia
31. Regional Cooperation Council
32. Renewable Energy Policy Network for the 21st Century
33. Science and Technology Center in Ukraine
34. Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environment Programme
35. Venice Commission of the Council of Europe
United Nations organisations
36. Department of Economic and Social Affairs
37. U.N. Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) — Economic Commission for Africa
38. ECOSOC — Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean
39. ECOSOC — Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific
40. ECOSOC — Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia
41. International Law Commission
42. International Residual Mechanism for Criminal Tribunals
43. International Trade Centre
44. Office of the Special Adviser on Africa
45. Office of the Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Children in Armed Conflict
46. Office of the Special Representative of the Secretary-General on Sexual Violence in Conflict
47. Office of the Special Representative of the Secretary-General on Violence Against Children
48. Peacebuilding Commission
49. Peacebuilding Fund
50. Permanent Forum on People of African Descent
51. U.N. Alliance of Civilizations
52. U.N. Collaborative Programme on Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation in Developing Countries
53. U.N. Conference on Trade and Development
54. U.N. Democracy Fund
55. U.N. Energy
56. U.N. Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women
57. U.N. Framework Convention on Climate Change
58. U.N. Human Settlements Programme
59. U.N. Institute for Training and Research
60. U.N. Oceans
61. U.N. Population Fund
62. U.N. Register of Conventional Arms
63. U.N. System Chief Executives Board for Coordination
64. U.N. System Staff College
65. U.N. Water
66. U.N. University
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