White House officials said Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced the decision, explaining that the organisations were identified following a comprehensive review of “wasteful, ineffective and harmful international organisations.” The initiative follows Trump’s February 4, 2025 Executive Order 14199, which withdrew the U.S. from certain United Nations agencies and ended funding for them.
Rubio emphasized that the review, conducted in consultation with the U.S. Representative to the UN, continues to evaluate all intergovernmental organisations in which the United States holds membership or provides support.
“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,” Rubio said. “The days of billions of dollars in taxpayer money flowing to foreign interests at the expense of our people are over. As such, the United States will be withdrawing from the 66 organisations.”
Among the non-UN bodies affected are the Global Forum on Migration and Development, Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, International Institute for Democracy and Electoral Assistance, and the International Institute for Justice and the Rule of Law. UN agencies on the list include the Department of Economic and Social Affairs, International Trade Centre, Peacebuilding Commission, UN Women, UN Framework Convention on Climate Change, UN Population Fund, and several others.
Rubio framed the move as a response to what he described as the progressive ideology and globalist agendas dominating many international organisations. He argued that institutions originally designed to foster peace and cooperation have evolved into “a sprawling architecture of global governance” that sometimes constrains American sovereignty.
“From DEI mandates to gender equity campaigns to climate orthodoxy, many international organisations now serve a globalist project rooted in the discredited fantasy of the ‘End of History,’” Rubio said. “America will not continue expending resources, diplomatic capital, and the legitimising weight of its participation in institutions that are irrelevant to or in conflict with its interests. We reject inertia and ideology in favour of prudence and purpose.”
The memorandum signals a continuation of Trump’s broader agenda to recalibrate U.S. engagement with international bodies, emphasizing national priorities and accountability for taxpayer resources.