U.S. President Donald Trump announced on Wednesday that the United States will withdraw from dozens of international and United Nations entities, stating that these organisations “operate contrary to U.S. national interests.”

According to a memo sent to senior administration officials, Trump listed 35 non-U.N. groups and 31 U.N. entities that the U.S. plans to leave. Among the most significant is the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), which is widely described as the “bedrock” global climate treaty and serves as the parent agreement to the 2015 Paris climate accord.

The United States skipped the annual U.N. international climate summit last year for the first time in three decades. Experts have warned that withdrawing from the UNFCCC would isolate the U.S. from global climate negotiations.

“The United States would be the first country to walk away from the UNFCCC,” said Manish Bapna, president and CEO of the Natural Resources Defence Council.

“Every other nation is a member, in part because they recognise that even beyond the moral imperative of addressing climate change, having a seat at the table in those negotiations represents an ability to shape massive economic policy and opportunity,” Bapna added.

In addition to the climate treaty, the U.S. will also exit UN Women, the UN agency that works to promote gender equality and the empowerment of women. The US will also withdraw from the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), which focuses on family planning, maternal health, and child health in more than 150 countries worldwide. The United States had already cut its funding to UNFPA last year.

The memo clarified the nature of the withdrawal, stating, “For United Nations entities, withdrawal means ceasing participation in or funding to those entities to the extent permitted by law.” It further noted that Trump has already largely reduced voluntary funding to most UN agencies.

A spokesperson for UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the decision.

Trump’s decision reflects his long-standing scepticism toward multilateral organisations, especially the United Nations. He has frequently criticised international bodies for what he sees as poor effectiveness, high costs, and lack of accountability. Trump has argued that many of these organisations do not adequately serve U.S. interests.

Since beginning his second term a year ago, Trump has taken several steps to reduce U.S. involvement in global institutions. These actions include slashing U.S. funding for the United Nations, ending U.S. engagement with the U.N. Human Rights Council, extending a halt to funding for the Palestinian relief agency UNRWA, and withdrawing from UNESCO, the U.N.’s cultural agency.

Trump has also announced plans to withdraw from the World Health Organisation and the Paris climate agreement.

Other organisations included in the withdrawal list are the UN Conference on Trade and Development, the International Energy Forum, the UN Register of Conventional Arms, and the UN Peacebuilding Commission.

The White House defended the move, stating that the entities the US is seeking to exit promote “radical climate policies, global governance, and ideological programs that conflict with U.S. sovereignty and economic strength.”

Among the list of the US withdrawals are the India-led International Solar Alliance (ISA) and the Colombo Peace Plan. The US administration termed these 66 agencies as “wasteful”, “unnecessary” or “anti-American”.

According to the White House, the decision is part of a broader review of all international intergovernmental organisations, treaties, and conventions in which the United States participates.

“These withdrawals will end American taxpayer funding and involvement in entities that advance globalist agendas over US priorities, or that address important issues inefficiently or ineffectively, such that US taxpayer dollars are best allocated in other ways to support the relevant missions,” the White House said in a statement.

The administration emphasised that the goal of these withdrawals is to ensure that US resources are spent in ways that align more closely with national interests and economic priorities.