FULL LIST: Trump Pulls U.S. Out of 31 UN Entities, Including Climate, Gender and Africa Offices

U.S. President Donald Trump has announced a sweeping withdrawal of the United States from 31 United Nations entities, in a move that marks one of the most extensive rollbacks of U.S. engagement with the UN system in modern history.

At the center of concern for Africa and the Global South is Washington’s decision to exit the Office of the Special Adviser on Africa (OSAA), a UN body tasked with mobilizing international support for Africa’s development, peace, and security priorities. The withdrawal signals a sharp departure from decades of U.S. involvement in multilateral platforms that shape policy on development financing, conflict prevention, trade, climate action, and humanitarian protection.

The announcement forms part of a broader disengagement from international institutions, with the Trump camp reiterating long-standing arguments that many UN bodies are inefficient, politicized, and misaligned with U.S. national interests. Critics, however, warn that the move weakens global cooperation at a time of escalating conflicts, climate shocks, and economic instability—particularly for developing regions that rely on multilateral frameworks for advocacy and resources.

Africa-focused analysts note that exiting OSAA, alongside UN agencies dealing with trade, population, urban development, gender equality, and peacebuilding, risks reducing Africa’s visibility in U.S. foreign policy and undermining coordinated international responses to crises on the continent.

Beyond Africa, the withdrawals extend to climate governance, biodiversity protection, migration dialogue, democratic assistance, and post-conflict justice mechanisms—areas where the U.S. has traditionally wielded significant influence.

The decision is already reverberating across diplomatic circles, with UN officials and partner states expected to reassess funding structures, governance balance, and leadership dynamics in bodies previously shaped by U.S. participation.

FULL LIST OF WITHDRAWALS

(a) International Organizations / Treaties

(i) 24/7 Carbon-Free Energy Compact
(ii) Colombo Plan Council
(iii) Commission for Environmental Cooperation
(iv) Education Cannot Wait
(v) European Centre of Excellence for Countering Hybrid Threats
(vi) Forum of European National Highway Research Laboratories
(vii) Freedom Online Coalition
(viii) Global Community Engagement and Resilience Fund
(ix) Global Counterterrorism Forum
(x) Global Forum on Cyber Expertise
(xi) Global Forum on Migration and Development
(xii) Inter-American Institute for Global Change Research
(xiii) Intergovernmental Forum on Mining, Minerals, Metals, and Sustainable Development
(xiv) Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC)
(xv) Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services
(xvi) International Centre for the Study of the Preservation and Restoration of Cultural Property
(xvii) International Cotton Advisory Committee
(xviii) International Development Law Organization
(xix) International Energy Forum
(xx) International Federation of Arts Councils and Culture Agencies
(xxi) International Institute for Democracy and Electoral Assistance
(xxii) International Institute for Justice and the Rule of Law
(xxiii) International Lead and Zinc Study Group
(xxiv) International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA)
(xxv) International Solar Alliance
(xxvi) International Tropical Timber Organization
(xxvii) International Union for Conservation of Nature
(xxviii) Pan American Institute of Geography and History
(xxix) Partnership for Atlantic Cooperation
(xxx) Regional Cooperation Agreement on Combating Piracy and Armed Robbery against Ships in Asia
(xxxi) Regional Cooperation Council
(xxxii) Renewable Energy Policy Network for the 21st Century
(xxxiii) Science and Technology Center in Ukraine
(xxxiv) Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environment Programme
(xxxv) Venice Commission of the Council of Europe

(b) United Nations (UN) Organizations – 31 Entities

(i) Department of Economic and Social Affairs
(ii) ECOSOC – Economic Commission for Africa
(iii) ECOSOC – Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean
(iv) ECOSOC – Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific
(v) ECOSOC – Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia
(vi) International Law Commission
(vii) International Residual Mechanism for Criminal Tribunals
(viii) International Trade Centre
(ix) Office of the Special Adviser on Africa
(x) Office of the Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Children in Armed Conflict
(xi) Office of the Special Representative of the Secretary-General on Sexual Violence in Conflict
(xii) Office of the Special Representative of the Secretary-General on Violence Against Children
(xiii) Peacebuilding Commission
(xiv) Peacebuilding Fund
(xv) Permanent Forum on People of African Descent
(xvi) UN Alliance of Civilizations
(xvii) UN Collaborative Programme on Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation (UN-REDD)
(xviii) UN Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD)
(xix) UN Democracy Fund
(xx) UN Energy
(xxi) UN Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women (UN Women)
(xxii) UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC)
(xxiii) UN Human Settlements Programme (UN-Habitat)
(xxiv) UN Institute for Training and Research (UNITAR)
(xxv) UN Oceans
(xxvi) UN Population Fund (UNFPA)
(xxvii) UN Register of Conventional Arms
(xxviii) UN System Chief Executives Board for Coordination
(xxix) UN System Staff College
(xxx) UN Water
(xxxi) UN University