President Donald Trump has issued a sweeping executive order on Friday, January 9, 2026, directing the United States to formally withdraw from 66 international organizations and treaties. This unprecedented move, which includes the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) and the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), marks a total shift toward a “sovereignty-first” foreign policy, effectively stripping American financial and diplomatic support from a vast section of the global governing infrastructure.
The administration initiated the mass exit to eliminate what the White House characterizes as “wasteful” spending on entities that “undermine American interests and values.” By severing ties with these 66 bodies, the President aims to save billions in taxpayer dollars while removing the U.S. from international regulations regarding the environment, global health, and human rights. The withdrawal was executed through a formal directive to the State Department to begin the immediate process of notifying the United Nations and the secretariats of the affected agencies.
The complete list of the 66 organizations and treaties targeted by the order includes:
United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC)
United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA)
World Health Organization (WHO)
United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO)
International Criminal Court (ICC) – Rome Statute
UN Women
United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA)
International Labour Organization (ILO)
Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO)
UN Human Rights Council (UNHRC)
Universal Postal Union (UPU)
International Telecommunication Union (ITU)
World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO)
International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD)
United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO)
International Maritime Organization (IMO)
World Meteorological Organization (WMO)
United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP)
United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF)
United Nations Development Programme (UNDP)
UN-Habitat
World Food Programme (WFP)
International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO)
International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA)
Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty Organization (CTBTO)
Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW)
International Organization for Migration (IOM)
Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR)
United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC)
International Court of Justice (ICJ)
Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU)
International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA)
Green Climate Fund (GCF)
Global Environment Facility (GEF)
Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC)
UN Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS)
Paris Agreement on Climate Change
Biological Weapons Convention (BWC)
Arms Trade Treaty (ATT)
International Coffee Organization (ICO)
International Sugar Organization (ISO)
International Grains Council (IGC)
International Tropical Timber Organization (ITTO)
World Tourism Organization (UNWTO)
International Hydrographic Organization (IHO)
International Rubber Study Group (IRSG)
International Lead and Zinc Study Group (ILZSG)
International Copper Study Group (ICSG)
International Nickel Study Group (INSG)
International Energy Forum (IEF)
International Bureau of Weights and Measures (BIPM)
International Institute for the Unification of Private Law (UNIDROIT)
Hague Conference on Private International Law (HCCH)
International Centre for the Study of the Preservation and Restoration of Cultural Property (ICCROM)
International Council on Monuments and Sites (ICOMOS)
World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA)
International Bureau of Exhibitions (BIE)
International Criminal Police Organization (INTERPOL)
International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA)
International Vine and Wine Organisation (OIV)
International Organization of Legal Metrology (OIML)
International Seed Testing Association (ISTA)
International Whaling Commission (IWC)
North Atlantic Salmon Conservation Organization (NASCO)
Inter-American Institute for Global Change Research (IAI)
Pacific Salmon Commission (PSC)
This mass departure has sparked immediate outcry from global leaders, who warn that the sudden vacuum of U.S. leadership and funding will cripple international efforts to combat disease, hunger, and environmental degradation. The administration has signaled that more withdrawals may follow as they continue to review every international agreement currently involving the United States.
