The US administration has decided to further withdraw support from as many as 66 international organisations, many of which are affiliated with the United Nations, in a move that signals the country’s retreat from global cooperation.
President Donald Trump on Wednesday signed an executive order suspending US support for 66 organisations, agencies and commissions, after having asked his administration to review participation in and funding for all international bodies, according to a US official who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss a presidential decision that had not yet been publicly announced.
Since most of the targets include UN-related agencies, commissions and advisory panels that focus on climate, labour, the decision underscores Trump’s dismissal of climate change as a hoax and his administration’s categorisation of certain institutions as “woke” initiatives.
“The Trump Administration has found these institutions 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,” the State Department said in a statement.
The US’ withdrawal from the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change, or UNFCCC, is the latest effort by Trump and his allies to distance the US from international organisations that are focused on addressing climate change.
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UNFCC, the 1992 agreement between 198 countries to financially support climate change activities in developing countries, is the underlying treaty for the landmark Paris climate agreement. Trump withdrew from that agreement soon after reclaiming the White House.
Other organisations and agencies that the US will quit include the Carbon Free Energy Compact, the United Nations University, the International Cotton Advisory Committee, the International Tropical Timber Organization, the Partnership for Atlantic Cooperation, the Pan-American Institute for Geography and History, the International Federation of Arts Councils and Culture Agencies and the International Lead and Zinc Study Group.
Many independent non-governmental agencies have cited many project closures because of the US administration’s decision last year to slash foreign assistance through the US Agency for International Development, or USAID.
Trump’s decision marks a major shift in the US’ stance on the UN, in which Trump himself has said he sees potential. The President, however, said that he wants to focus taxpayer money to expand American influence in many of the standard-setting UN initiatives where there is competition with China, like the International Telecommunications Union, the International Maritime Organization and the International Labor Organization.
Political experts see his decision to withdraw from organisations that foster cooperation among nations to address global challenges to come at a time when the US is stepping-up its military offensive against enemies and allies alike, most recently seen in the capture of Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro and an indicating an intention to take over Greenland.
His administration previously suspended support from agencies like the World Health Organization, the UN for Palestinian refugees known as UNRWA, the UN Human Rights Council and the UN cultural agency UNESCO as it has taken a larger, a-la-carte approach to paying its dues to the world body, picking which operations and agencies they believe align with Trump’s agenda and those which no longer serve US interests.
The State Department said additional reviews are ongoing.
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