US President Donald Trump on Tuesday signed an executive order withdrawing Washington from several United Nations agencies, including the UN Human Rights Council (UNHRC) and the main UN relief agency for Palestinians (UNRWA), while also initiating a review of US involvement in UNESCO.
The decision was framed as a protest against what White House staff secretary Will Scharf described as “anti-American bias” within these institutions. “More generally, the executive order calls for a review of American involvement and funding in the UN in light of the wild disparities and levels of funding among different countries,” Scharf stated.
Trump defended the move, criticizing the disproportionate US financial contributions to international organizations. “It should be funded by everybody, but we’re disproportionate, as we always seem to be,” he said, while still acknowledging the “tremendous potential” of the UN.
The United States’ membership in the UNHRC was set to expire on December 31, with the country currently holding observer status. Tuesday’s order signals a complete withdrawal from the council’s activities, which include reviewing human rights records and investigating rights abuses worldwide.
UNRWA, the chief aid agency for Palestinians, provides essential support to millions, including those displaced by the war in Gaza. The Trump administration has supported Israel’s calls to ban the agency, citing accusations of spreading hate material. US funding for UNRWA was previously halted in January 2024 under then-President Joe Biden after Israel accused 12 agency employees of involvement in Hamas’s October 7, 2023, attack. Subsequent investigations found “neutrality-related issues” but no evidence supporting Israel’s primary allegations, leading most donors to resume funding.
Trump’s latest UN withdrawals echo actions from his first term, which ended in 2021. Previously, he pulled the US out of the Paris climate accord and began the process of withdrawing from the World Health Organization, where the US was the largest donor.
This move aligns with Trump’s longstanding criticism of multilateral organizations, including NATO, where he has urged other countries to increase their financial contributions.
