The U.S. decision to exit 66 multilateral bodies marks a structural retreat from global governance forums shaping climate, development, peace, and norms.
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At a Glance
The U.S. withdrawal from 66 international organizations signals a strategic shift away from multilateral rule-making toward narrower, sovereignty-first engagement.
Executive Summary
In January 2026, the United States announced its withdrawal from 66 international organizations, including 31 United Nations entities, citing misalignment with U.S. interests, sovereignty, and governance priorities. Affected bodies span climate science, gender equality, development economics, peacebuilding, migration, energy coordination, and rule-of-law institutions across both UN and non-UN systems.
This move reshapes U.S. engagement with the multilateral system anchored by the United Nations, particularly its economic, social, and normative arms. Withdrawals from entities such as UN Women, UNFCCC, UNDP, and UNCTAD reduce U.S. presence in agenda-setting spaces where standards, data, and policy frameworks are negotiated.Beyond the UN, exits from science-policy platforms, climate and biodiversity bodies, democracy and rule-of-law institutions, and regional cooperation mechanisms further narrow U.S. participation in collective problem-solving. While U.S. officials emphasize continued bilateral and ad-hoc cooperation, development partners including the World Bank, OECD, and African Development Bank now operate in a context where U.S. voice is more selective and less embedded in multilateral consensus-building.
The Organizations Impacted:
🇺🇸 Non-UN International Organizations (35)
- 24/7 Carbon-Free Energy Compact
- Colombo Plan Council
- Commission for Environmental Cooperation
- Education Cannot Wait
- European Centre of Excellence for Countering Hybrid Threats
- Forum of European National Highway Research Laboratories
- Freedom Online Coalition
- Global Community Engagement and Resilience Fund
- Global Counterterrorism Forum
- Global Forum on Cyber Expertise
- Global Forum on Migration and Development
- Inter-American Institute for Global Change Research
- Intergovernmental Forum on Mining, Minerals, Metals, and Sustainable Development
- Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC)
- Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services
- International Centre for the Study of the Preservation and Restoration of Cultural Property
- International Cotton Advisory Committee
- International Development Law Organization
- International Energy Forum
- International Federation of Arts Councils and Culture Agencies
- International Institute for Democracy and Electoral Assistance
- International Institute for Justice and the Rule of Law
- International Lead and Zinc Study Group
- International Renewable Energy Agency
- International Solar Alliance
- International Tropical Timber Organization
- International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN)
- Pan American Institute of Geography and History
- Partnership for Atlantic Cooperation
- Regional Cooperation Agreement on Combatting Piracy and Armed Robbery against Ships in Asia
- Regional Cooperation Council
- Renewable Energy Policy Network for the 21st Century
- Science and Technology Center in Ukraine
- Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environment Programme
- Venice Commission of the Council of Europe (European Commission for Democracy through Law)
🌍 United Nations (UN) Organizations (31)
- Department of Economic and Social Affairs (UN DESA)
- UN Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) — Economic Commission for Africa
- ECOSOC — Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean
- ECOSOC — Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific
- ECOSOC — Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia
- International Law Commission
- International Residual Mechanism for Criminal Tribunals
- International Trade Centre
- Office of the Special Adviser on Africa
- Office of the Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Children in Armed Conflict
- Office of the Special Representative of the Secretary-General on Sexual Violence in Conflict
- Office of the Special Representative of the Secretary-General on Violence Against Children
- Peacebuilding Commission
- Peacebuilding Fund
- Permanent Forum on People of African Descent
- UN Alliance of Civilizations
- UN Collaborative Programme on Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation (UN-REDD)
- UN Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD)
- UN Democracy Fund
- UN Energy
- UN Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women (UN Women)
- UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC)
- UN Human Settlements Programme (UN-Habitat)
- UN Institute for Training and Research (UNITAR)
- UN Oceans
- UN Population Fund (UNFPA)
- UN Register of Conventional Arms
- UN System Chief Executives Board for Coordination
- UN System Staff College
- UN Water
- UN University
Think About It This Way
Multilateral organizations are less about funding flows and more about who defines problems, evidence, and norms. Exiting them doesn’t stop global coordination—it redistributes influence to others who stay at the table.
Implications (What This Means in Practice)
- Agenda-Setting Power Shifts Elsewhere
Standards on climate, gender, trade, and development will increasingly be shaped by coalitions where the U.S. is absent, not neutral. - Knowledge Gaps Accumulate Over Time
Withdrawal from technical and science-policy bodies reduces access to shared data, peer review, and early warning systems that quietly underpin policy quality. - Bilateralism Replaces Systems Thinking
Issue-by-issue deals lack the integrative lenses—across climate, conflict, demographics, and markets—that multilateral platforms are designed to provide. - Institutional Memory Weakens
Long-running UN and non-UN bodies store decades of operational learning; disengagement limits feedback loops between global evidence and national policy. - Partners Recalibrate, Not Pause
Other governments, foundations, and regional banks continue forward, adjusting governance and financing structures without U.S. leadership.
Further Reading
| Report / Study | What it covers / Why useful | Official Link |
|---|---|---|
| UN System and Multilateralism (UN, 2024) | How UN entities shape global norms beyond funding | https://www.un.org/en/global-issues/multilateralism |
| Multilateral Development System Update (OECD, 2023) | Trends in donor engagement and withdrawals | https://www.oecd.org/development |
| World Bank Multilateral Effectiveness Review (2024) | Evidence on why multilateral coordination matters | https://www.worldbank.org/en/about/evaluation |
| UNCTAD Trade and Development Report (2023) | Role of UN bodies in global economic governance | https://unctad.org/publications |
| AfDB Knowledge Publications | Regional implications of global governance shifts | https://www.afdb.org/en/knowledge/publications |
Explore With VoD
- Explore further: Which policy areas (climate, gender, trade, peace) are most sensitive to agenda-setting power rather than funding levels?
- Explore further: How do middle-income and low-income countries adapt when major powers disengage from shared institutions?
- Explore further: What historical cases show the long-term effects of multilateral withdrawal versus reform from within?
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Use VoD Capsules as a starting point for understanding; always review the linked reports and verify critical information.
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