President Donald Trump moved to withdraw the U.S. from 66 international organizations, treaties, and conventions on Wednesday that he determined are contrary to the American national interest.
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“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,” said Secretary of State Marco Rubio in a press release.
“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,” he added.
Following a February order, “Withdrawing the United States from and Ending Funding to Certain United Nations Organizations and Reviewing United States Support to All International Organizations,” Rubio provided President Trump with a report on all the international organizations of which the U.S. was a part.
Trump then decided to withdraw the nation from 66 treaties, organizations, and conventions, including numerous United Nations groups and organizations focused on climate change and immigration.
Trump’s memorandum instructs executive departments to withdraw from the organizations as soon as possible and clarifies that, in the case of U.N. groups, withdrawal means the end of funding and participation to the maximum extent allowed by law.
Some highlights include:
- 24/7 Carbon-Free Energy Compact
- Commission for Environmental Cooperation
- Forum of European National Highway Research Laboratories
- Global Forum on Migration and Development
- Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change
- International Centre for the Study of the Preservation and Restoration of Cultural Property
- International Cotton Advisory Committee
- International Institute for Democracy and Electoral Assistance
- International Tropical Timber Organization
- UN Democracy Fund
- UN Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women
- UN Register of Conventional Arms
- UN Human Settlements Programme
A full list of the 66 organizations and treaties is available on the White House’s website.
