“As we have consistently underscored, assessed contributions to the United Nations regular budget and peacekeeping budget, as approved by the General Assembly, are a legal obligation under the UN Charter for all Member States, including the United States,” Stephane Dujarric, a spokesperson for Guterres, said in a statement.
He added that despite the announcement, the UN entities targeted will keep doing their work: “The United Nations has a responsibility to deliver for those who depend on us.” The UN and several entities affected said they learned about the withdrawal through news reports and White House social media post on Wednesday. There has been no formal communication from the Trump administration outlining the announcement, Dujarric told reporters.Many UN officials refused to comment on the impact the move would have on their agencies because they had not been given details or official word from anyone in the US government.
Following a yearlong review of participation in and funding for all international organisations, Trump signed an executive order suspending American support for 66 groups, agencies and commissions.Many of the targets are UN-related agencies, commissions, and advisory panels that focus on climate, labor, migration, and other issues the Trump administration has categorised as catering to diversity and “woke” initiatives.
Some of the agencies impacted, including the UN Population Fund, an organisation that provides sexual and reproductive health services worldwide, have long been a lightning rod for Republican opposition, and Trump cut funding for it during his first term.
The withdrawal from the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change, or UNFCCC, came as less of a surprise, as Trump and his allies had previously withdrawn US support from other climate initiatives.
The 1992 agreement between 198 countries to financially support climate change activities in developing countries is the underlying treaty for the landmark Paris climate agreement. Trump withdrew from that agreement soon after returning to the White House.
Simon Stiell, UNFCCC executive secretary, warned the US that the decision to pull back will harm “the US economy, jobs and living standards, as wildfires, floods, mega-storms and droughts get rapidly worse”.
“The doors remain open for the US to reenter in the future, as it has in the past with the Paris Agreement,” he said in a statement. “Meanwhile, the size of the commercial opportunity in clean energy, climate resilience, and advanced electrotech remains too big for American investors and businesses to ignore”.
