The Trump administration has formally rejected the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), becoming the first country to renounce the 17 objectives that were unanimously adopted by all 193 UN member states in 2015. The goals, which include eradicating poverty, achieving gender equality, and tackling climate change, were originally endorsed by former President Barack Obama as part of a global commitment to be met by 2030.
The announcement was made in a statement by Edward Heartney, a minister-counsellor at the US mission to the UN, during remarks on a General Assembly resolution marking the International Day of Peaceful Coexistence. Heartney stated that while the goals are framed in “neutral language,” they promote “soft global governance that is inconsistent with U.S. sovereignty and adverse to the rights and interests of Americans.”
He further argued that the SDGs and broader UN Agenda 2030 were rejected by American voters in last year’s presidential election, which secured Donald Trump a second term. He claimed that “globalist endeavours like Agenda 2030 and the SDGs lost at the ballot box” in favour of a government focused on prioritising American interests.
Heartney also said that Trump had “set a clear and overdue course correction” on gender and climate policies embedded within the SDGs. Trump has consistently rejected the concept of gender identity beyond male and female and has actively opposed transgender rights. The SDGs, while designed to be inclusive, do not specifically reference LGBTQ+ rights.
On climate, Trump has promoted increased fossil fuel production and previously withdrew the U.S. from the Paris Agreement, arguing that climate commitments undermined economic growth. The SDGs, however, emphasise urgent action to address climate change, warning that the planet stands “at the brink of climate calamity.”
UN spokesperson Stéphane Dujarric responded to the US decision, reiterating that all 193 member states had pledged in 2015 to work together to fulfil the 2030 Agenda. He said the SDGs remain central to the UN’s mission of “advancing a world of peace, prosperity, and dignity for all” and building “a better, healthier, safer, and more sustainable future.”
Trump’s decision marks a further retreat from multilateral commitments, echoing his “America First” stance since his first election in 2016. While his administration had previously ignored the SDGs, it had not formally disavowed them. Following Joe Biden’s election in 2020, the US renewed its engagement with the SDGs, reporting to Congress on national efforts to achieve the global goals.
