The United States will withdraw from dozens of international organisations, conventions and treaties — including major global climate bodies — after President Donald Trump said they were “contrary to the interests” of the country.
In a statement on Wednesday, Trump announced plans to exit 66 organisations, comprising 35 non-United Nations bodies and 31 UN entities. Several play central roles in global climate governance, including the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, the International Union for Conservation of Nature, and the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change.
The move marks the latest effort by the Trump administration to distance the US from multilateral institutions addressing climate change. Established in 1992, the UNFCCC provides the framework for international climate cooperation and underpins landmark agreements including the Paris Agreement, from which Trump has twice withdrawn. The treaty has been ratified by 197 countries and the European Union.
David Widawsky, Director of World Resources Institute US, described the decision to leave the UNFCCC — the first time any country has done so — as “a strategic blunder that gives away American advantage for nothing in return”.
“The 30-year-old agreement is the foundation of international climate cooperation,” Widawsky said. “Walking away doesn’t just put America on the sidelines — it takes the US out of the arena entirely.”
Trump said it was “contrary to the interests of the United States to remain a member of, participate in, or otherwise provide support to” the organisations, and instructed federal departments and agencies to take “immediate steps” to effect the withdrawals. He has previously cited similar reasoning to justify exits from bodies such as the World Health Organization, the UN Relief and Works Agency, the UN Human Rights Council and UNESCO.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio labelled the organisations “anti-American, useless, or wasteful”, adding that reviews of other international bodies were ongoing. “We will stop subsidising globalist bureaucrats who act against our interests,” he said in a social media post.
The announcement prompted sharp criticism from climate and science advocates. Rachel Cleetus, Policy Director and Lead Economist for the Climate and Energy Program at the Union of Concerned Scientists, called the move a “new low” and accused the administration of being “anti-science” and willing to “destabilise global cooperation”.
Gina McCarthy, who served as White House climate adviser under the Biden administration, described the decision as “short-sighted, embarrassing, and foolish”.
Despite the withdrawal, Widawsky said he remained confident that international climate diplomacy would endure. “Other nations understand the UNFCCC’s irreplaceable role in driving cooperation and advancing climate solutions the world urgently needs,” he said. “When countries work together on climate, it saves lives, creates jobs, strengthens economic stability, and builds a more prosperous future.”
