President Donald Trump signed an executive order to withdraw the US from the United Nations Human Rights Council as it announced to stop funding any more for the United Nation's Palestine refugee agency.
On Tuesday, he also directed the US to review its participation in the United Nations' Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation, the body that uses culture and history as a bridge-building mechanism between nations.
"The United States helped found the United Nations (UN) after World War II to prevent future global conflicts and promote international peace and security. But 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 our allies and propagating anti-Semitism," the Executive order said.
The executive order said that as in 2018, when the US withdrew from the UNHRC, the US will reevaluate its commitment to these institutions and three UN organisations that deserve renewed scrutiny are the UNHRC; the UN Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO); and the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA).
Israel and the US have accused the Human Rights Council of unfairly targeting and maligning Israel. In 2019, the US and Israel withdrew from UNESCO, with Israel criticising the agency as "erasing" Jewish history within Israel's borders.
The Executive Order is to prevent the US from "providing any further funding to UNRWA, which has consistently demonstrated itself to be anti-Semitic and anti-Israel, including by the fact that so many of its staff participated in the horrific October 7 terrorist attacks against Israel," a fact sheet on the Executive Order stated.
Trump barred funding for UNRWA during his first term. President Joe Biden enacted a freeze on US funding for UNRWA in January 2024 following charges that employees of the agency took part in Hamas's October 7, 2023, assault against Israel.
Those funds never were restored after Joe Biden left office.
It stated UNRWA facilities have been repeatedly used by Hamas and other terrorist groups to host arms and construct tunnels.
"UNRWA reportedly has been penetrated by members of groups that long ago have been designated by the Secretary of State (Secretary) as foreign terrorist organizations, and UNRWA employees were actively involved in the October 7, 2023, Hamas attack on Israel," the Executive Order stated.
The organization further indicated that in protecting human rights abusers, UNHRC has provided them an opportunity to use the body for shielding themselves from scrutiny, while UNESCO has been an ultimate failure to reform itself, continuously shown anti-Israel sentiment over the last decade, and failed to address mounting arrears.
In the White House fact sheet, it stated that countries as such as "Iran, China, and Cuba" abuse the UNHRC because of their dashing human rights abuses and violations.
"The UNHRC has demonstrated consistent bias against Israel, focusing on it unfairly and disproportionately in council proceedings. In 2018, the year President Trump withdrew from the UNHRC in his first administration, the organisation passed more resolutions condemning Israel than Syria, Iran, and North Korea combined," it said.
As per the Executive Order, the United States will not participate in the UNHRC and will not seek election to that body.
Office of United States Representative to the UNHRC will be abolished; any positions with a primary duty to assist in the performance of the United States Representative to the UNHRC will be eliminated.
The U.S. shall also review the membership of UNESCO.
"The review will include an assessment of whether and how UNESCO further United States interests. Specifically, the review will involve an examination for any anti-Semitism or anti-Israel bias in the agency."
After the Executive Order, Secretary General of the United Nations Antonio Guterres, as well as UNRWA and UN High Commissioner for Human Rights leadership, will be informed that the United States will not provide funding to UNRWA or the UNHRC and that the US will not pay any claims seeking to liquidate 2025 assessments or prior arrears by said organizations.
As Trump said in 2017, "the UN must reform if it is to be an effective partner in confronting threats to sovereignty, security, and prosperity."
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