Trump Announces U.S. Withdrawal from U.N. Human Rights Council and Cuts Funding to Palestinian Refugee Agency

Trump has officially withdrawn the United States from the United Nations Human Rights Council and ended participation in UNRWA, the U.N. agency for Palestinian refugees, through an executive order signed on Tuesday.

Trump also directed his administration to review U.S. involvement in UNESCO, the U.N.’s Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, which focuses on culture and history as a means of international diplomacy.

“I’ve always felt that the U.N. has tremendous potential. It’s not living up to that potential right now. It really hasn’t for a long time,” Trump stated from the Oval Office. “There are great hopes for it, but it’s not being well-run, to be honest.”

While the orders were positioned as a response to anti-American bias at the U.N., they were signed just before Trump’s meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Both the U.S. and Israel have long criticized the Human Rights Council, accusing it of unfairly targeting Israel. In 2019, both countries withdrew from UNESCO, with Israel claiming the agency was erasing Jewish history.

During his first term, Trump had already halted funding for UNRWA, which provides assistance to Palestinian refugees. While President Biden temporarily restored funding, he blocked U.S. financial support again in January 2024 over allegations that UNRWA staff were involved in Hamas’s October 7, 2023, attack on Israel. These funds were never reinstated by the time Trump returned to office.

The latest decision comes as Israel implemented a new law last week banning UNRWA from operating within its borders, reinforcing the country’s stance against the agency.