US President Donald Trump has ordered a sweeping pullback from the United Nations system and other international bodies, announcing plans to withdraw the United States from 66 global organisations and treaties, including key forums on climate change, democracy and human rights.

In a presidential memorandum released by the White House on Wednesday evening, Trump said the move followed an internal review of “organisations, conventions, and treaties” deemed to be at odds with US interests.

The decision would end both US participation in the targeted bodies and all associated funding.

According to the White House list, the withdrawals cover 35 non-UN organisations and 31 UN entities.

Among the most prominent bodies affected are the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), the International Institute for Democracy and Electoral Assistance, and the International Union for Conservation of Nature.

Although described by the White House as a non-UN body, the IPCC is a UN-backed scientific organisation that brings together climate experts to assess evidence on global warming and inform policymakers.

The United States will also withdraw from major UN institutions, including the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), the UN Democracy Fund and the UN Population Fund (UNFPA), which focuses on maternal and child health.

Several agencies aimed at protecting civilians in conflict, including the UN office dedicated to children in armed conflict, are also on the list.

UN spokesperson Stéphane Dujarric said on Wednesday night that the organisation expected to respond formally to the announcement by Thursday morning.

While Trump has repeatedly argued that the United States should limit its engagement with multilateral institutions, his administration has continued to exert influence over international decision-making.

Last October, Trump threatened sanctions against diplomats backing a proposed levy on polluting shipping fuels, derailing the agreement for at least a year.

The administration has also sanctioned UN special rapporteur Francesca Albanese following her report on the role of international and US companies in Israel’s war on Gaza.

During his first term, Trump similarly threatened to cut aid to countries supporting a UN resolution condemning Washington’s recognition of Jerusalem as Israel’s capital.

As a permanent member of the UN Security Council, the United States retains veto power and has repeatedly used it to block resolutions calling for an end to Israel’s war on Gaza, before later helping broker a ceasefire.

Since returning to office in January last year, Trump has already withdrawn the US from the World Health Organisation, the Paris climate agreement and the UN Human Rights Council.

All three withdrawals were carried out during his first presidency and later reversed under former president Joe Biden.

The exit from the WHO is set to take effect on January 22, 2026, one year after the order was signed.

Between 2024 and 2025, the US contributed $261m to the organisation — around 18 per cent of its total funding — supporting work on issues ranging from tuberculosis to pandemic preparedness.

The Trump administration has also maintained a ban on US funding for the UN agency for Palestinian refugees, UNRWA, a policy first introduced under the Biden administration.