US withdrawal from dozens of international organisations including key climate bodies

BBC
BBC
38m ago
US President Donald Trump withdrew the United States from 66 international organisations, including the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change and the UN’s Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change.
US withdrawal from dozens of international organisations including key climate bodies
A What happened
US President Donald Trump withdrew the United States from 66 international organisations, including nearly half that are United Nations bodies. The list includes the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change and the UN’s Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. The White House said the entities no longer serve American interests and promote ineffective or hostile agendas, and said the withdrawals will end US taxpayer funding and involvement. The move could face legal challenges because the US Constitution does not specify what happens if a president withdraws from treaties.

Key insights

  • 1

    White House rationale for withdrawals: The White House said the withdrawals were intended to end US taxpayer funding and involvement in entities it said advance globalist agendas over US priorities and promote ineffective or hostile agendas.

  • 2

    Potential legal vulnerability: The withdrawal could face legal challenges because the US Constitution does not specify what happens if a president withdraws from treaties.

  • 3

    External criticism from a US advocacy group: Rachel Cleetus of the Union of Concerned Scientists called the move a new low and said it showed an authoritarian, anti-science administration determined to sacrifice people’s wellbeing and destabilise global cooperation.

Takeaways

The United States has formally withdrawn from 66 international organisations, including major UN climate bodies, with the White House ending US funding and involvement and critics warning of harm to global cooperation.

Topics

World & Politics Policy & Regulation International Affairs Climate & Environment Climate Change

Read the full article on BBC

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