President Trump signs executive order withdrawing US from UNHRC

President Donald Trump signed an executive order withdrawing the US from the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC), prohibiting any future funding for the UN agency for Palestinian refugees. President Trump also directed the US to review its participation in the UN’s Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO), the body that uses culture and history as a bridge-building mechanism between nations.

The Executive order said that the United States helped found the United Nations after World War II to prevent future global conflicts and promote international peace and security. However, It said that some of the UN’s agencies and bodies have drifted



from this mission and instead act contrary to the interests of the United States while attacking their allies and propagating anti-semitism.

The Executive Order said the UNRWA has consistently shown itself to be anti-Semitic and anti-Israel. It said, UNRWA facilities have repeatedly been used by Hamas and other terrorist groups to store weapons and build tunnels.

Mr. Trump halted funds for UNRWA during his first term. President Joe Biden put a block on US funds for UNRWA in January 2024 over allegations that staff for the agency participated in Hamas’s October 7, 2023, attack against Israel.