Trump presses exit on 31 UN & 35 non-UN bodies—Why it concerns India

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced on Wednesday that the Donald Trump administration has decided to withdraw from 66 international organisations through an executive order. The development follows a review, ordered in early February 2025, that found these organisations to be “wasteful, ineffective or harmful”, and misaligned with American interests. It also reflects Trump’s apparent wariness of multilateral institutions, including the United Nations itself, criticising their cost, effectiveness and accountability.

• Trump administration finds these institutions to be redundant, ill-managed or against the United States’ interests
• Trump argues that taxpayers’ money should no longer be spent on these organisations
• Trump 2.0 has classified the 66 organisations into two groups: UN groups (31) and non-UN groups (35)
• These institutions are “irrelevant to or in conflict with our interests”: Trump administration
• Trump 2.0 rejects “inertia and ideology in favour of prudence and purpose”
• Impacted institutions include a key climate treaty
• In 2025, US skipped annual UN international climate summit for the first time in three decades

Full list of organisations that US is withdrawing from

• Department of Economic and Social Affairs
• UN Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC)-Economic Commission for Africa
• ECOSOC-Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean
• ECOSOC-Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific
• ECOSOC-Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia
• International Law Commission
• International Residual Mechanism for Criminal Tribunals
• International Trade Centre
• Office of the Special Adviser on Africa
• Office of the Special Representative of the Secretary General for Children in Armed Conflict
• Office of the Special Representative of the Secretary-General on Sexual Violence in Conflict
• Office of the Special Representative of the Secretary-General on Violence Against Children
• Peacebuilding Commission
• Peacebuilding Fund
• Permanent Forum on People of African Descent;
• UN Alliance of Civilizations
• UN Collaborative Programme on Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation in Developing Countries
• UN Conference on Trade and Development
• UN Democracy Fund
• UN Energy
• UN Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women
• UN Framework Convention on Climate Change
• UN Human Settlements Programme
• UN Institute for Training and Research
• UN Oceans
• UN Population Fund
• UN Register of Conventional Arms
• UN System Chief Executives Board for Coordination
• UN System Staff College
• UN Water
• UN University

• 24/7 Carbon-Free Energy Compact
• Colombo Plan Council
• Commission for Environmental Cooperation
• Education Cannot Wait
• European Centre of Excellence for Countering Hybrid Threats
• Forum of European National Highway Research Laboratories
• Freedom Online Coalition
• Global Community Engagement and Resilience Fund
• Global Counterterrorism Forum
• Global Forum on Cyber Expertise
• Global Forum on Migration and Development
• Inter-American Institute for Global Change Research
• Intergovernmental Forum on Mining, Minerals, Metals, and Sustainable Development
• Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change
• Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services
• International Centre for the Study of the Preservation and Restoration of Cultural Property
• International Cotton Advisory Committee
• International Development Law Organization
• International Energy Forum
• International Federation of Arts Councils and Culture Agencies
• International Institute for Democracy and Electoral Assistance
• International Institute for Justice and the Rule of Law
• International Lead and Zinc Study Group
• International Renewable Energy Agency
• International Solar Alliance
• International Tropical Timber Organization;
• International Union for Conservation of Nature
• Pan American Institute of Geography and History
• Partnership for Atlantic Cooperation
• Regional Cooperation Agreement on Combatting Piracy and Armed Robbery against Ships in Asia
• Regional Cooperation Council
• Renewable Energy Policy Network for the 21st Century
• Science and Technology Center in Ukraine
• Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environment Programme
• Venice Commission of the Council of Europe

The Trump administration said it 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. 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,” read a statement by Rubio.

“The days of billions of dollars in taxpayer money flowing to foreign interests at the expense of our people are over,” it added.

India is a member of more than a dozen of the 66 organisations from which the US is withdrawing, with India being an active member of the UN. ​

The Trump administration’s list also mentions the India-headquartered International Solar Alliance (ISA) that has more than 120 active members.