Highlights:
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Trump signed a memorandum directing the US to withdraw from 66 international organizations
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The list includes 31 UN bodies and 35 non-UN institutions
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Trump pulls the US out of the International Solar Alliance led by India and France
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The administration says the organizations undermine US sovereignty, security, and economic interests
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US funding and participation will end “as soon as possible,” subject to US law
President Donald Trump has ordered the United States to withdraw from 66 international organizations, including several United Nations agencies and the India–France-led International Solar Alliance, marking one of the most extensive pullbacks from multilateral institutions by the US in recent history. The decision was formalized through a presidential memorandum signed on Wednesday, according to the White House.
The memorandum, titled “Withdrawing the United States from International Organisations, Conventions, and Treaties that Are Contrary to the Interests of the United States,” states that Trump has determined it is “contrary” to US interests to remain a member of, participate in, or support these organizations. The move reflects Trump’s long-standing position that many international institutions do not align with American priorities and place unfair financial and political burdens on the country.
Trump and the Withdrawal From Global Institutions
Under the directive signed by Trump, US executive departments and agencies have been instructed to take immediate steps to implement the withdrawals “as soon as possible.” A White House fact sheet said the 66 organizations include 31 United Nations entities and 35 non-UN institutions that “operate contrary to US national interests, security, economic prosperity, or sovereignty.”
For UN bodies, Trump said the withdrawal would involve ending US participation and funding to the extent permitted by US law. A UN spokesperson confirmed that the organization had received the full list of affected bodies and said a formal response would be provided on Thursday.
The decision reinforces Trump’s broader approach to foreign policy, which prioritizes national sovereignty, reduced overseas spending, and skepticism toward multilateral governance structures.
Trump Pulls US Out of the International Solar Alliance
One of the most significant moves under the Trump order is the US withdrawal from the International Solar Alliance (ISA), a climate-focused initiative jointly led by India and France. The ISA was established to promote solar energy deployment and cooperation among countries with high solar potential.
The alliance currently has more than 100 signatory countries, with over 90 having ratified its framework to become full member nations. The US exit marks a major setback for the organization, given Washington’s financial and diplomatic influence.
By pulling out of the ISA, Trump has further distanced the US from international climate initiatives, continuing a pattern that began with earlier withdrawals from climate-related agreements.
Trump Administration Defends the Decision
US Ambassador to the United Nations Mike Waltz said on X that the US “will no longer fund or participate in international organisations that do not serve, or in many cases work counter to, American interests.”
Secretary of State Marco Rubio also strongly defended the move, offering a detailed justification for the Trump administration’s decision. Rubio said the 66 institutions were found 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.”
“President Trump is clear: It is no longer acceptable to be sending these institutions the blood, sweat, and treasure of the American people, with little to nothing to show for it. The days of billions of dollars in taxpayer money flowing to foreign interests at the expense of our people are over,” Rubio said.
Rubio added that organizations originally designed to promote peace and cooperation have “morphed into a sprawling architecture of global governance, often dominated by progressive ideology and detached from national interests.” He criticized mandates related to DEI, gender equity, and climate policy, saying these organizations “actively seek to constrain American sovereignty.”
“We will not continue expending resources, diplomatic capital, and the legitimising weight of our participation in institutions that are irrelevant to or in conflict with our interests. We reject inertia and ideology in favour of prudence and purpose,” Rubio said.
Trump Targets Multiple UN Agencies
The list of organizations Trump has ordered the US to withdraw from includes several prominent UN agencies and programs. These include the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change, the UN Population Fund, the UN Conference on Trade and Development, and the UN Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women.
It also includes multiple UN offices focused on peacebuilding, children in armed conflict, and sexual violence. The breadth of the list highlights the scale of the Trump administration’s reassessment of US engagement with international institutions.
Trump’s Longstanding Criticism of the UN
Trump has been openly critical of the United Nations for years. Shortly after being sworn in for his second term, he ordered the US to withdraw once again from the Paris climate agreement. He later announced that the US would not participate in the UN Human Rights Council, would review its membership in UNESCO, and would suspend funding to the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA).
Addressing the UN General Assembly last year, Trump questioned the effectiveness of the organization, saying, “…what is the purpose of the United Nations? … It’s empty words and empty words don’t solve war.”
The latest decision to pull the US out of 66 global bodies underscores Trump’s continued push to reshape America’s role on the international stage, placing national interests and sovereignty at the center of US foreign policy.
