UN regrets U.S. withdrawal from dozens of international organisations

By: Abudu Olalekan

It landed quiet, but heavy, on January 8, 2026. Out of UN headquarters in New York.

Stéphane Dujarric, the UN spokesperson, put out a statement from Secretary-General António Guterres. Guterres is regretful. There’s no way around it.

Because the day before, the White House had dropped a memorandum that upended years of slow, painstaking multilateral work.

Donald Trump, U.S. President, had ordered immediate U.S. withdrawal from 35 non-UN international organisations and 31 UN entities. All of this traces back to Executive Order 14199, signed on February 4, 2025. That order was focused on pulling back from certain UN groups, cutting their funding, and doing a full review of all U.S. support to global bodies.

After going over a comprehensive report from Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Trump and his cabinet made their call. They said remaining part of these groups are contrary to U.S. national interests.

In his memo, Trump wrote that he is directing every federal executive agency to take all immediate steps to finalize the withdrawal as soon as legally possible. For UN entities specifically, he said withdrawal means halting all participation and funding, to the fullest extent allowed by U.S. law. He added that he’s still reviewing more of Rubio’s findings, so this could not be the final round of changes.

The list of affected groups is not just bureaucratic red tape. It includes the UN Population Fund (UNFPA), the team that supports maternal and child health care, and pushes back against the scourge of sexual and gender-based violence. It includes the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), the main global platform for countries to cooperate on fighting climate change. It includes the UN Democracy Fund, which provides funding and mentorship to small civil society groups working to build stronger, more inclusive democracies.

Even the under-the-radar offices are caught up in this. The ones that advocate for children trapped in armed conflict. The ones that work to end sexual violence being used as a weapon of war. Four out of the five UN regional commissions — the quiet spaces where neighboring countries collaborate on shared regional challenges — are also on the withdrawal list.

Here’s a critical piece of context: The U.S. is the UN’s largest assessed contributor. In 2025, they were responsible for 22% of the UN’s regular budget, and roughly 26% of its peacekeeping budget. But U.S. law caps peacekeeping payments at 25%, which already created ongoing arrears. As of January 2026, the U.S. has not paid any of its 2025 assessed contributions. Total arrears now sit at about $1.5 billion, more than any other UN member state.

But Guterres is not backing down. He said the UN’s work don’t stop, even with this withdrawal. He reminded all member states that assessed contributions are not a voluntary donation. They are a legal obligation under the UN Charter, for every member, including the United States.

“All United Nations entities will continue to carry out the mandates that Member States have given them,” Guterres said. He repeated it, slow and firm: “We have a responsibility to deliver for those who depend on us. We will keep going, with every bit of determination we have.”

Under the UN Charter, these assessed contributions are approved by the General Assembly, and they are binding for all member nations, no exceptions.