Above photo: AFP.
Donald Trump signed the memorandum directing the withdrawal from organizations deemed to be ‘contrary to the interests of the US’.
US President Donald Trump signed a memorandum on 7 January 2026 directing the withdrawal of his country from dozens of international organizations, conventions, and UN bodies deemed “contrary to the interests of the United States.”
The memorandum was addressed to the heads of executive departments and agencies and invokes presidential authority under the Constitution and US law to order immediate action.
Trump tied the move directly to Executive Order 14199, issued on 4 February 2025, which ordered a sweeping review of US participation in all international intergovernmental organizations and treaties.
That earlier order tasked the secretary of state, in consultation with the US representative to the UN, with determining which bodies run counter to US interests.
According to the memorandum, the secretary of state has now submitted the required findings, which Trump said he reviewed alongside his cabinet.
Following that review, Trump said he had “determined that it is contrary to the interests of the United States to remain a member of, participate in, or otherwise provide support” to a long list of institutions.
The directive orders all agencies to take “immediate steps” to withdraw US participation and support “as soon as possible.”
Referring to UN entities, the memorandum clarifies that withdrawal means ending participation or funding “to the extent permitted by law.”
The list includes 35 non-UN organizations, ranging from climate, energy, biodiversity, and environmental bodies to institutions focused on democracy, migration, culture, and international law.
Among them are the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, the International Renewable Energy Agency, the International Union for Conservation of Nature, and the Venice Commission of the Council of Europe.
The memorandum also orders withdrawal from 31 UN bodies and offices, including the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change, UN Women, the UN Population Fund, the Office of the Special Representative for Children in Armed Conflict, and multiple UN peacebuilding and development entities.
The withdrawals cut the US off from UN bodies and international institutions that document civilian harm in Gaza, including over 20,000 child casualties, mass displacement, destruction of homes and infrastructure, economic collapse, environmental damage, arms transfers, and postconflict recovery.
Several UN economic and social commissions, including those covering Africa, Latin America, Asia-Pacific, and West Asia, are also listed.
Trump stated that his review of additional findings by the secretary of state “remains ongoing,” signaling that further withdrawals may follow.
Implementation authority was delegated to the secretary of state, who is tasked with issuing further guidance to agencies as needed.
The memorandum includes standard legal clauses stating that it does not override existing legal authorities, does not guarantee funding, and creates no enforceable rights.
The secretary of state was instructed to publish the memorandum in the Federal Register.
While presented as a procedural step, the decision effectively pulls the US away from international bodies that monitor war conduct, environmental harm, and humanitarian violations – arenas where Israel’s actions in West Asia are most frequently scrutinized – allowing Washington to continue protecting Tel Aviv from political accountability.
The decision comes against the backdrop of years of Israeli efforts to delegitimize, defund, obstruct, and ultimately dismantle UNRWA, which was not included in the list but whose mandate preserves the Palestinian refugee question and documents living conditions under occupation and siege.
