Jurist Trump withdraws US from UN Human Rights Council, citing global body’s unmet ‘potential’

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US President Donald Trump on Tuesday signed an executive order withdrawing the US from the UN Human Rights Council (UNHRC) and the UN Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA), and demanding a review of US involvement in the UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).

As of the time of writing, the Trump administration had yet to publish the text of the order. But a video posted to the president’s social media account shows White House Staff Secretary Will Scharf presenting the president with an order to sign, stating:

In light of the numerous actions taken by a number of bodies of the United Nations which exhibited deep anti-American bias, we have an executive order prepared for your attention that would withdraw the United States from the UN Human Rights Council, would withdraw the United States from the UNRWA — which is a refugee organization — and would also review American involvement in UNESCO, which has also exhibited anti-American bias. More generally, the executive order calls for review of American involvement and funding in the UN in light of the wild disparities and levels of funding among different countries that, as you’ve expressed previously, is deeply unfair to the United States.

Trump responded:

So I’ve always felt that the UN has tremendous potential. It’s not living up to that potential right now. It really isn’t — hasn’t for a long time. … There are great hopes for it, but it’s not being well run, to be honest, and not doing the job. A lot of these conflicts that we’re working on should be settled, or at least we should have some help in settling them. We never seem to get help. That should be the primary purpose of the UN … It’s got great potential, and based on the potential, we’ll continue to go along with it, but you got to get their act together.

The UNHRC is the UN’s principal body for promoting and protecting human rights worldwide. Established in 2006, the council’s primary roles are to promote and protect human rights around the globe by fostering dialogue on contentious rights issues, adopting resolutions to express the will of the international community, and developing procedures for addressing rights violations. The US has had a complex relationship with the UNHRC, previously withdrawing under the Trump administration in 2018 before rejoining under former President Joe Biden in 2021. Notably, the UNHRC comprises 47 rotating members from across the international community, each of whom hold three-year terms on the council. The US was not a sitting member of the UNHRC when Trump signed Tuesday’s order.

Amnesty International USA Director for Government Relations and Advocacy Amanda Klasing lambasted the decision as “performative,” saying: “This isn’t about President Trump thumbing his nose at the institution, instead he’s just demonstrating he’d rather make a callous show of rejecting human rights than do the work needed to protect and promote human rights for people everywhere, including in the U.S.”

Founded in 1949, the UNRWA offers education, healthcare, social services, and emergency aid to Palestinian refugees in the West Bank, Gaza Strip, Jordan, Lebanon, and Syria. UNRWA has been a source of controversy, with supporters arguing it provides vital humanitarian assistance and critics alleging operational flaws, based in part on allegations that several members of its staff participated in the Oct. 7, 2023 Hamas attack in Israel, which killed more than 1,100 people and ignited a brutal war.

UNESCO works to promote international collaboration in education, sciences, and culture. It is perhaps best known for designating World Heritage Sites, but its work spans education, scientific cooperation, and cultural preservation. The US previously withdrew from UNESCO in 2017, under Trump, citing what it saw as the organization’s anti-Israel bias, but rejoined in 2023 under Biden.

Tuesday’s order is one of dozens the president has signed since returning to the White House last month. It appears to fall within the scope of Trump’s far-reaching “America First” policy, which prioritizes domestic US interests over those of the broader international community. In a day 1 directive to the US State Department, the agency responsible for foreign policy, Trump declared: “From this day forward, the foreign policy of the United States shall champion core American interests and always put America and American citizens first.” His frustration over the US’ role in resolving global conflicts featured prominently in Trump’s presidential campaign.


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