Trump Signs Executive Order to Withdraw US from UN Human Rights Council

Washington D.C USA: On Tuesday, President Donald Trump signed an executive order to pull the United States out of the United Nations Human Rights Council, the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA), and to review US involvement in UNESCO.

This move comes in response to what White House staff secretary Will Scharf called “anti-American bias” at these UN bodies. The order ends US participation in the Human Rights Council, which reviews countries’ human rights records.

Trump also criticized the UN’s funding system, saying the US contributes too much while other countries pay less. He has previously called for other nations to increase their contributions to organizations like NATO.

The US stopped funding UNRWA in early 2024 after Israel accused some of its employees of ties to Hamas, though investigations did not confirm these claims.