US quits 66 intl organizations under Trump's order

WASHINGTON -- US President Donald Trump on Wednesday signed a memorandum directing his country's withdrawal from 66 international organizations, which "no longer serve American interests," the White House announced on X.

Starting with Trump's "America First" slogan, the statement said they comprised of 31 UN entities and 35-non UN organizations.

According to the list published on the White House website, most of the targets are UN-related agencies, commissions and advisory panels focusing on climate change, global governance, labor and other issues that the Trump administration has categorized as promoting diversity and "woke" agenda.

The United States will withdraw from UN organizations, including the UN Economic and Social Council's panels for Africa, Latin America and the Caribbean, Asia and the Pacific, and Western Asia, as well as the International Law Commission, the International Trade Centre, and UN Trade and Development.

Among the non-UN organizations are the 24/7 Carbon-Free Energy Compact, the Global Counterterrorism Forum, the Global Forum on Migration and Development, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, the International Renewable Energy Agency; as well as the Regional Cooperation Agreement on Combatting Piracy and Armed Robbery against Ships in Asia.

Jan. 20 will mark the first anniversary of Trump's second presidential term. Since returning to the White House nearly one year ago, Trump has announced plans to quit the World Health Organization, the Paris climate agreement and the UN cultural agency UNESCO. He also cut US funding for the UN, stopped US engagement with the UN Human Rights Council, and extended a suspension of funding for the Palestinian relief agency UNRWA.

Earlier on Wednesday, Trump said in a post on his Truth Social that he is doubting whether NATO would come to the US defense when it is needed, two days after Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen warned that a US military attack on Greenland could effectively end the military alliance.