United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres stated that the United States has a "legal obligation" to continue funding UN agencies, following President Trump's announcement to withdraw support from over 30 initiatives operated by the world body. This decision affects 66 international organizations and initiatives, including the UN's population agency and the treaty framework for international climate negotiations. Guterres' spokesperson, Stephane Dujarric, emphasized that assessed contributions to the UN's regular and peacekeeping budgets are a legal obligation under the UN Charter for all member states. Despite the withdrawal, UN entities are committed to continuing their work. The announcement came as a surprise to many UN diplomats, who learned of the decision through news reports and social media, with no formal communication from the Trump administration.
Trump's executive order, stemming from a yearlong review, suspends American support for groups and agencies focused on issues the administration has labeled as "woke" initiatives, such as climate, labor, and migration. Previous withdrawals of support included the World Health Organization, the UN agency for Palestinian refugees (UNRWA), the UN Human Rights Council, and UNESCO. The withdrawal from the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) is consistent with the U.S. departure from other climate initiatives, including the Paris Agreement. The UNFCCC executive secretary warned that this decision could harm the U.S. economy, jobs, and living standards. The U.S., as the world's largest economy, is responsible for 22% of the UN's regular budget and 25% of its peacekeeping budget. The UN Charter stipulates that a member state in arrears for two full years loses its vote in the General Assembly, and Dujarric stated the charter is not negotiable.