US President Donald Trump on Tuesday signed an executive order pulling the United States out of several United Nations bodies, including the UN Human Rights Council (UNHRC), while initiating a broader review of US funding to the global organization.
The order officially ends US participation in the UNHRC and the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) while also placing Washington’s involvement in the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) under review.
White House staff secretary Will Scharf justified the decision, citing what he described as an “anti-American bias” within these UN agencies.
The UNHRC, composed of 47 member states elected to three-year terms, had the US serving in an observer capacity after its most recent term ended on December 31.
The executive order effectively terminates all US involvement in the council’s activities, including its reviews of human rights records and investigations into alleged violations.
“This order also calls for a broader review of US engagement with and financial contributions to the UN, given the disproportionate burden America bears,” Scharf said.
Trump, while acknowledging the UN’s “tremendous potential,” criticized its management and funding structure.
“It should be funded fairly by all, but we’re always paying disproportionately,” he remarked.
The decision also affects UNRWA, the primary aid provider for millions of Palestinian refugees, particularly those displaced by the war in Gaza.
The Trump administration has supported Israel’s stance against UNRWA, which has faced accusations of anti-Israel bias.
US funding for the agency was previously halted in January 2024 under President Joe Biden after Israel accused some UNRWA employees of involvement in Hamas’s October 7, 2023, attack.
Although subsequent investigations found certain neutrality concerns, they did not substantiate Israel’s main allegations, leading most other donors to resume funding.
Trump’s latest moves continue his administration’s pattern of withdrawing from international agreements and institutions.
Earlier in his term, he pulled the US out of the Paris Climate Accord and initiated withdrawal from the World Health Organization (WHO), citing funding imbalances and governance concerns.
Each of these decisions echoes similar actions taken during his first term in office, which ended in 2021.
