US president Donal Trump has withdrawn the US from dozens of international bodies that ‘no longer serve American interests’.
This includes major UN and non-UN forums focused on climate, migration, social policy, peace, and democracy.
Nearly half of the 66 bodies in question are UN-related and include the Framework Convention on Climate Change, a treaty that underpins all international efforts to combat so called global warming.
Groups working on development, gender equality and conflict are also included.
RT reports: President Donald Trump had signed a memorandum suspending support for a total of 66 organizations, agencies, and commissions “that operate contrary to US national interests, security, economic prosperity, or sovereignty,” the White House said on Thursday.
“These withdrawals end taxpayer support for entities that advance globalist agendas over US priorities or address key issues inefficiently,” the statement read, adding that many of them targeted “radical climate policies, global governance, and ideological programs conflicting with US sovereignty and economic strength.”
The affected organizations include the UNFCCC, the UN’s main body for climate negotiations; UN Women, the body dealing with gender equality; and UNFPA, a major agency on population and demographics.
The non-UN bodies include the IPCC, a major authority on climate science which won the Nobel Peace Prize in 2007; the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA); and the Global Counterterrorism Forum.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio hailed Trump’s move, accusing the targeted bodies of “actively seeking to constrain American sovereignty.”
“Trump is clear: no more sending American taxpayers’ money abroad with little to show for it,” Rubio said in a statement released by the US State Department, noting that Washington will continue reviewing its commitments to other international forums.
Critics called the move a “new low.” Rachel Cleetus, senior policy director at the Union of Concerned Scientists, said it was another sign that Trump’s “authoritarian” and “anti-science” administration was determined to destabilize global cooperation. Gina McCarthy, former White House climate adviser, said it is “shortsighted, embarrassing, and foolish” to leave UN climate processes specifically.