President Trump has pulled the U.S. out of the UN Human Rights Council and ordered the probe of the UN Funding.
NaijaOnPoint Nigeria reports that U.S. President, Donald Trump has signed an executive order withdrawing the United States from several United Nations bodies.
The bodies include the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC) and the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA).
The order also called for a review of U.S. funding for the UN, citing concerns over what the White House described as “anti-American bias.”
Exit from UNHRC, UNRWA, and UNESCO
NaijaOnPoint Nigeria reports that the executive order formally ends U.S. participation in the UNHRC, a 47-member body responsible for reviewing global human rights records and investigating alleged violations.
The United States’ latest term on the council ended on December 31, 2024, leaving it with only an observer status before this latest withdrawal.
The U.S. also formally withdrew from UNRWA, the chief aid agency for Palestinian refugees, which has been central to humanitarian efforts in Gaza and other parts of the region.
Additionally, the Trump administration announced a review of its involvement in the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), an organization the U.S. had previously exited during Trump’s first term but later rejoined under President Joe Biden.
Explaining the decision, White House Staff Secretary, Will Scharf said the move was a response to the “wild disparities” in U.S. financial contributions to the UN compared to other nations.
“It should be funded by everybody, but we’re disproportionate, as we always seem to be,” Trump said.
Trump has long criticized the U.S. financial commitments to multilateral organizations, frequently arguing that other countries should contribute more. Similar concerns led him to push for reforms in NATO funding during his first term.
Trump’s move aligns with Israel’s long-standing opposition to UNRWA, which it has accused of spreading anti-Israel propaganda and having links to Hamas.
The Biden administration had halted U.S. funding to UNRWA in January 2024 after Israel claimed 12 UNRWA employees were involved in Hamas’s October 7, 2023, attack.
Although independent investigations found some neutrality-related issues within UNRWA, they did not confirm Israel’s primary allegations. Many Western nations resumed funding, but Washington under Trump has now severed ties completely.
Trump’s withdrawal from UN bodies is not new. During his first term (2017–2021), he pulled the U.S. out of:
– The Paris Climate Accord
– The World Health Organization (WHO)
– The UN Human Rights Council (UNHRC) (which Biden later rejoined)
– The Iran Nuclear Deal (JCPOA)
Now, in his latest term, Trump appears to be doubling down on his America First foreign policy approach.