After WHO, UNESCO, US to withdraw from 66 more international organisations

The United States has announced its decision to withdraw from 66 international organisations, citing concerns that these bodies are wasteful, ineffective and harmful to American interests.

The announcement was made on January 7, 2026, following a review conducted under Executive Order, according to a press statement issued by US Secretary of State Marco Rubio.

US announces withdrawal from 66 international organisations

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“Today, in furtherance of Executive Order, President Trump announced the withdrawal of the United States from 66 international organisations identified as part of the Trump Administration’s review,” Rubio said, adding that the review of other international bodies remains ongoing.

The Trump administration said the organisations identified were found to be “redundant in their scope, mismanaged, unnecessary, wasteful, poorly run,” or operating in ways contrary to US interests. It also alleged that several of these institutions were “captured by the interests of actors advancing their own agendas” and posed a threat to US sovereignty, freedoms and prosperity.

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 Organisation
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 Organisation
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 Centre in Ukraine
34. Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environment Programme
35. Venice Commission of the Council of Europe

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 Civilisations
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
31. UN University

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

The US government said it would withdraw from the 66 organisations listed as part of the review, while further evaluations under the executive order would continue.

According to the statement, international organisations that were initially created to promote peace and cooperation had evolved into a “sprawling architecture of global governance,” which the administration said was increasingly detached from national interests.

The statement criticised several organisations for promoting initiatives related to diversity, equity and inclusion, gender equity and climate policies, claiming these efforts constrained American sovereignty. It also referred to what it described as an “NGO-plex” of elite networks influencing global institutions.

The administration said it would no longer expend diplomatic capital or resources on institutions that were “irrelevant to or in conflict with” US interests. “We seek cooperation where it serves our people and will stand firm where it does not,” the statement said.

Separately, US President Donald Trump claimed that he had “single-handedly ended eight wars” and said he had saved “millions of lives,” while criticising Norway over the Nobel Peace Prize.

In a post on Truth Social, Trump said that although the Nobel Peace Prize “doesn’t matter,” he believed he had been unfairly denied the honour. He criticised Norway, which hosts the Nobel Peace Prize ceremony, and referred to the award as the “Nobel Peace Prize.”

Trump said the central issue for him was the lives he claimed to have saved, rather than the recognition.

The latest move comes nearly a year after the Trump administration announced the withdrawal of the United States from the World Health Organisation in January 2025, citing mismanagement of the COVID-19 pandemic.

In July 2025, the US also withdrew from the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO), stating that continued membership was not in the national interest of the United States. The administration has indicated that further decisions on international organisations may follow as the review process continues.