President Donald Trump withdrew the United States 66 international organizationsincluding twelve dedicated to energy, renewable energy, climate change and environmental causes. This fruitful exit comes after the government launched an investigation into participating international organizations in February 2025.
The United States will stop funding or cooperating with the United Nations agencies named in a presidential memorandum published Wednesday. This includes the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), an organization founded in 1992 and in which the United States joined shortly after its founding. The United States joined the UNFCCC during the former Republican period The term of President George HW Bush.
Other non-UN organizations that the United States will no longer support include the International Renewable Energy Agency, the International Solar Alliance, and the Renewable Energy Policy Network for the 21st Century (REN21).
“Renewable energy is the strongest economic choice that countries, subnational governments, cities and citizens can make today,” said Rana Adib, executive director of REN21, in a press release. “It is the best option for energy security, the smartest investment for long-term prosperity and a critical foundation for protecting nature. The shift to renewables is happening worldwide; it is no longer optional or reversible. It is happening because it makes economic sense and because societies need reliable, affordable energy in a changing world.”
Trump initially withdrew the United States from the Paris Agreement, an international initiative launched in 2015 that legally required participating countries to limit factors contributing to climate change by 2020. Former President Joe Biden reversed this when he took office in 2021. But in his second term, Trump again withdrew the United States from the Paris Agreement.
“Many of these agencies promote radical climate policies, global governance, and ideological programs that run counter to American sovereignty and economic strength,” Trump said in a White House fact sheet.
He indicated in the memorandum that the government is still considering further withdrawals from international organizations.
