US to quit 66 international bodies in isolationist blow and climate fight set back

President Donald Trump has intensified his administration’s retreat from global cooperation by announcing the US will withdraw from 66 international organisations, including several key institutions responsible for coordinating global climate action.

Among the groups targeted are the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) that oversees the coordination of the international action to stop global warming, and the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) – central multilateral bodies underpinning scientific research and international negotiations on climate policy.

The withdrawal follows Trump’s decision in January 2025 to initiate a one-year process to exit the 2015 Paris Agreement for a second time, a move that already signalled the US reversal on climate commitments.

Trump’s decision is widely seen as a direct blow to global efforts to limit greenhouse gas emissions, as well as to multilateralism more broadly. In total, 31 UN-affiliated organisations and 35 other international bodies are affected, encompassing initiatives on sustainable development, energy, democracy, migration, cybersecurity and peacebuilding.

The administration said the decision was part of a broader strategy to disengage from bodies that are “redundant in their scope, mismanaged, unnecessary, wasteful, poorly run,” and which advance agendas “contrary to those of the US,” according to US Secretary of State Marco Rubio.

John Kerry, the former US Secretary of State and special presidential envoy for climate under President Joe Biden, criticised the announcement, calling it a “gift to China and a get out of jail free card to countries and polluters who want to avoid responsibility”.

He added: “It’s another self-inflicted wound on the world stage.”

The move also marks an end to American participation in the annual UN COP summits, which have been instrumental in setting targets for emissions reductions and financing climate adaptation. US officials were notably absent from the most recent climate talks in Brazil.

European leaders condemned the decision.

“We will unequivocally continue to support international climate research, as the foundation of our understanding and work,” Wopke Hoekstra, EU climate commissioner, said on social media.

Germany’s environment minister, Carsten Schneider, said the US “stands alone in its stance on climate” while other nations remain committed to limiting warming to 1.5°C.

Li Shuo, director of the China Climate Hub at the Asia Society Policy Institute, warned that Washington’s departure “poses the most serious challenge to international climate efforts since the adoption of the Paris Agreement”. He added: “For China, the move means one less competitor in the clean technology race.”

Domestically, Trump has dismantled key Biden-era climate programmes, including tax credits for electric vehicles and subsidies for clean energy projects. Funding for renewables has been slashed, and public access to climate-related data curtailed. and Trump has gutted the authority of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the US’ main climate regulation agency.

Beyond climate, the US will also withdraw from multilateral platforms addressing cybersecurity, migration, international justice and democratic governance. These include the Global Counterterrorism Forum, the International Renewable Energy Agency and the Venice Commission of the Council of Europe.

US walks out of 66 international organizations

The White House today said the US would withdraw from 31 UN organizations and 35 others.

The bodies span a wide range of global cooperation efforts, including economic development, climate change, peacebuilding, human rights, and international law.

The 31 United Nations bodies include a lot of ESG topics including Climate Change, gender equality, sustainable development, and post-conflict recovery.

The remaining 35 organisations include multilateral forums and alliances focused on cybersecurity, clean energy, migration, democracy, and international justice – ie the infrastructure for running a responsible global community.

Withdrawal from these bodies would significantly reduce US engagement in global standard-setting and diminish its influence in areas such as climate policy, development financing, and security cooperation.

UN organizations (31):

1. Department of Economic and Social Affairs;
2. UN Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) — Economic Commission for Africa;
3. ECOSOC — Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean;
4. ECOSOC — Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific;
5. ECOSOC — Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia;
6. International Law Commission;
7. International Residual Mechanism for Criminal Tribunals;
8. International Trade Centre;
9. Office of the Special Adviser on Africa;
10. Office of the Special Representative of the Secretary General for Children in Armed Conflict;
11. Office of the Special Representative of the Secretary-General on Sexual Violence in Conflict;
12. Office of the Special Representative of the Secretary-General on Violence Against Children;
13. Peacebuilding Commission;
14. Peacebuilding Fund;
15. Permanent Forum on People of African Descent;
16. UN Alliance of Civilizations;
17. UN Collaborative Programme on Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation in Developing Countries;
18. UN Conference on Trade and Development;
19. UN Democracy Fund;
20. UN Energy;
21. UN Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women;
22. UN Framework Convention on Climate Change;
23. UN Human Settlements Programme;
24. UN Institute for Training and Research;
25. UN Oceans;
26. UN Population Fund;
27. UN Register of Conventional Arms;
28. UN System Chief Executives Board for Coordination;
29. UN System Staff College;
30. UN Water; and
31. UN University.

Other international organisations (35):

1. 24/7 Carbon-Free Energy Compact;
2. Colombo Plan Council;
3. Commission for Environmental Cooperation;
4. Education Cannot Wait;
5. European Centre of Excellence for Countering Hybrid Threats;
6. Forum of European National Highway Research Laboratories;
7. Freedom Online Coalition;
8. Global Community Engagement and Resilience Fund;
9. Global Counterterrorism Forum;
10. Global Forum on Cyber Expertise;
11. Global Forum on Migration and Development;
12. Inter-American Institute for Global Change Research;
13. Intergovernmental Forum on Mining, Minerals, Metals, and Sustainable Development;
14. Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change;
15. Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services;
16. International Centre for the Study of the Preservation and Restoration of Cultural Property;
17. International Cotton Advisory Committee;
18. International Development Law Organization;
19. International Energy Forum;
20. International Federation of Arts Councils and Culture Agencies;
21. International Institute for Democracy and Electoral Assistance;
22. International Institute for Justice and the Rule of Law;
23. International Lead and Zinc Study Group;
24. International Renewable Energy Agency;
25. International Solar Alliance;
26. International Tropical Timber Organization;
27. International Union for Conservation of Nature;
28. Pan American Institute of Geography and History;
29. Partnership for Atlantic Cooperation;
30. Regional Cooperation Agreement on Combating Piracy and Armed Robbery against Ships in Asia;
31. Regional Cooperation Council;
32. Renewable Energy Policy Network for the 21st Century;
33. Science and Technology Center in Ukraine;
34. Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environment Programme; and
35. Venice Commission of the Council of Europe.