UN says U.S. has ‘legal obligation’ to fund agencies after Trump withdraws from several organisations

The top United Nations official has said that the United States has a “legal obligation” to keep paying its dues that fund UN agencies after the White House announced that it is withdrawing support from more than 30 initiatives operated by the world body.

Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said he regretted President Donald Trump’s decision to withdraw from 31 UN-related agencies, including the UN’s population agency and the UN treaty that establishes international climate negotiations. The U.S. also will depart dozens of other global organisations or initiatives not affiliated with the UN

“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 Mr. 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 the White House social media post Wednesday. There has been no formal communication from the Trump administration outlining the announcement, Mr. 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 U.S. government.

Following a yearlong review of participation in and funding for all international organizations, Mr. 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, has long been a lightning rod for Republican opposition, and Mr. 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 Mr. Trump and his allies had previously withdrawn U.S. 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. Mr. 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 U.S. 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”.