Trump orders US withdrawal from UN bodies

President Donald Trump on Tuesday signed an executive order withdrawing the US from the United Nations' Human Rights Council (UNHRC).

The order is also prompting a review of US funding for the United Nations.

What else do we know about the executive order?

Trump also ordered a US withdrawal from  the UN relief agency for Palestinians (UNRWA).

He said that Washington intends to review its involvement in the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).

Trump pulled the US out of UNHRC in 2018 during his first term in office. Former President Joe Biden reinstated the US' membership of the organization in 2021.

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres "has worked tirelessly to implement many reforms ... to increase efficiency and innovation," his spokesperson Stephane Dujarric said in response to Trump's announcement.

"US support for the United Nations has saved countless lives and advanced global security," he said. "The Secretary-General looks forward to continuing his productive relationship with President Trump and the US Government to strengthen that relationship in today’s turbulent world."

US says UN is biased against Washington

White House staff secretary Will Scharf claimed there was an "anti-American bias" at the UN agencies.

"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," said Scharf.

Meanwhile, Trump said the UN has "tremendous potential" but that it is "not being well run."

"It should be funded by everybody, but we're disproportionate, as we always seem to be," he said.

UN has 'got to get their act together,' says Trump

The intergovernmental organization has "got to get their act together," Trump told reporters. "It's not being well run, to be honest and they're 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 United Nations," Trump added.

Trump has vehemently campaigned against the United States' funding of multilateral bodies, during both his first term and as he embarks on his second as president, calling for other nations to up their contributions, in particular in relation to the NATO military alliance.

The 47 members of the UN Human Rights Council are elected by the General Assembly to three-year terms, with the US ending its latest term on December 31.

Edited by: Saim Dušan Inayatullah