The United States has formally withdrawn from the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), marking a major escalation in President Donald Trump’s broader retreat from multilateral global institutions, the White House announced on Wednesday.
The decision was outlined in a White House memorandum that listed 66 international organisations and treaties deemed “contrary to the interests of the United States.” Roughly half of the entities named are affiliated with the United Nations, while others operate independently.
Among the most significant withdrawals is the UNFCCC, the foundational treaty underpinning all major international climate agreements, including the Paris Agreement.
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The memo also directs the US to exit the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), the UN body responsible for assessing climate science.
Other organisations affected include the International Renewable Energy Agency, UN Women, UN Water, UN Oceans, the UN Population Fund (UNFPA), and the UN Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD).
Non-UN bodies named include the International Institute for Democracy and Electoral Assistance, the Partnership for Atlantic Cooperation, and the Global Counterterrorism Forum.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the targeted organisations were driven by “progressive ideology” and sought to “constrain American sovereignty,” aligning with the administration’s broader opposition to initiatives it characterises as “woke.”
President Trump, who has made expanded fossil fuel production a cornerstone of his domestic policy, has repeatedly dismissed the scientific consensus on climate change, previously describing it as a “hoax.”
Since returning to office, he has once again withdrawn the United States from the 2015 Paris Climate Agreement, mirroring actions taken during his first term that were later reversed by former President Joe Biden.
The administration has also pulled the US out of UNESCO and the World Health Organisation and sharply reduced foreign aid, cutting funding to multiple UN agencies, including the World Food Programme and the UN High Commissioner for Refugees.
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Support for the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestinian Refugees (UNRWA) and the UN Human Rights Council has likewise been suspended.
The UNFCCC was adopted at the 1992 Rio Earth Summit and ratified later that year by the US Senate under President George H.W. Bush.
While the US Constitution outlines the process for entering into treaties, it remains silent on the process for withdrawing from them, creating a legal ambiguity that could prompt court challenges.
The sweeping disengagement marks a sharp departure from how previous Republican and Democratic administrations approached the United Nations.
The funding cuts have already forced the UN and many partner non-governmental organisations to reduce staffing and close projects worldwide, particularly following major reductions to USAID funding.
Despite the pullbacks, Trump administration officials say they intend to focus US resources on select UN agencies where strategic competition with China is prominent, including the International Telecommunications Union, International Maritime Organisation, and International Labour Organisation.
Climate policy experts warn the withdrawal could have lasting global consequences. Li Shuo of the Asia Society Policy Institute described the move as “a heavy blow to global climate action, fracturing hard-won consensus.”
California Governor Gavin Newsom, a vocal critic of Trump and a potential 2028 presidential contender, condemned the decision, saying the president was “surrendering America’s leadership on the world stage” and creating a vacuum that rival powers are already exploiting.