US President Donald Trump has ordered the United States to withdraw from 66 international organizations, accelerating Washington’s retreat from multilateral cooperation in a move critics say weakens global institutions.

Trump signed a memorandum on Wednesday directing the administration to exit dozens of international bodies he claims no longer serve US interests, triggering sharp criticism from experts and former officials who warn the decision risks undermining diplomacy and collective problem-solving.

Under the order, Washington will halt funding and participation in 35 non-United Nations organizations and 31 UN entities.

The move follows an earlier directive requiring a broad review of all international organizations, treaties, and conventions involving the United States, signaling a systematic retreat from multilateral engagement.

The White House said the withdrawals would free up taxpayer money allegedly wasted on what it called “ineffective or hostile” agendas, claiming the funds could be better used to advance the administration’s domestic priorities.

It claimed many of the targeted bodies focus on climate policy, global governance, and programs that conflict with Washington’s pursuit of unilateral power.

The decision is the latest expression of Trump’s long-standing skepticism toward international cooperation, rooted in his “Make America Great Again” slogan, which has increasingly translated into disengagement from forums where global rules and standards are negotiated.

US officials claim they plan to allocate the funds freed from the cuts on expanding US influence in UN standard-setting bodies where the US competes with China, including the International Telecommunications Union, International Maritime Organization, and International Labor Organization.

Trump initiated the US withdrawals by pulling the United States out of the World Health Organization and the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change — the 1992 treaty underpinning the Paris climate agreement- making the US the only country outside the global climate framework.

On the day of his inauguration in January 2025, he also signed an order to notify the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development that he aimed to withdraw.

In reaction to the move, head of UN affairs at the International Crisis Group, Daniel Forti, said Trump’s approach to global matters represents “the crystallization of the US approach to multilateralism, which is ‘my way or the highway.’”

Meantime, the UN has responded to the US funding cuts by reducing staff and limiting its programs, while numerous nongovernmental organizations have closed projects after Trump slashed foreign assistance through USAID.

Trump signed an order just weeks after his return to office last year, stating he US’s withdrawal the UN Human Rights Council (UNHRC) and prohibiting any future funding for the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA), among others including the Carbon Free Energy Compact, United Nations University, International Cotton Advisory Committee, International Tropical Timber Organization, Partnership for Atlantic Cooperation and International Lead and Zinc Study Group.

The administration has already suspended support for the World Health Organization, UNRWA, the UN Human Rights Council and UNESCO. It has adopted what officials describe as an “à la carte” approach to UN funding, supporting only operations aligned with Trump’s agenda.

Meanwhile, former White House national climate adviser Gina McCarthy said Trump’s decision was “shortsighted, embarrassing and foolish.” She warned the US was forfeiting its ability to influence trillions of dollars in climate investments and policies.

Chairman of the Global Carbon Project, Rob Jackson, said the US withdrawal from the Paris climate agreement “gives other nations the excuse to delay their own actions and commitments” on reducing greenhouse gases.

Niranjali Amerasinghe, executive director of ActionAid USA, insisted, “The people of the US and the international community must come together to stop the Trump administration from dismantling the structures and tools we have fought for and won – imperfect though they may be – to advance climate justice and global justice.”

Al Masirah report