WASHINGTON, D.C.: U.S. President Donald Trump signed an executive order on January 7, suspending U.S. support for the 66 organizations, agencies, and commissions, including those affiliated with the United Nations.

Many of the groups affected are U.N.-related agencies and advisory panels that work on climate, labor, migration, and similar issues that the Trump administration has labeled as promoting diversity and "woke" policies. Other organizations on the list that are not part of the U.N. include the Partnership for Atlantic Cooperation, the International Institute for Democracy and Electoral Assistance, and the Global Counterterrorism Forum.

In a statement, Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the administration views these institutions as overlapping, poorly managed, wasteful, unnecessary, and influenced by outside interests that run counter to U.S. priorities or threaten the country's sovereignty and prosperity.

Trump's move to leave organizations that promote international cooperation comes as his administration has also taken military actions or made threats that have unsettled allies and rivals, including capturing Venezuela's leader, Nicolás Maduro, and signaling interest in taking over Greenland.

Earlier, the administration halted support for groups such as the World Health Organization, the U.N. agency for Palestinian refugees (UNRWA), the U.N. Human Rights Council, and the U.N. cultural agency UNESCO. It has also taken a selective approach to paying U.N. dues, choosing which agencies and operations it believes match Trump's agenda and cutting off others it says do not serve U.S. interests.

The withdrawal from the U.N. Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) is the latest step in Trump's effort to distance the U.S. from global climate groups. The UNFCCC is a 1992 treaty signed by nearly 200 countries to support climate action in developing nations and is the basis for the Paris climate agreement. Trump, who has called climate change a hoax, pulled the U.S. out of the Paris deal soon after returning to office.

Former White House climate adviser Gina McCarthy said being the only country outside the treaty is "shortsighted, embarrassing, and foolish."

Scientists say climate change is causing more frequent and severe extreme weather, including floods, droughts, wildfires, heavy rain, and dangerous heat.

The U.S. has also left the International Solar Alliance, an India-backed group that promotes the spread of solar energy. Officials at India's Ministry of New and Renewable Energy said the government is aware of the decision and noted that the alliance still has 125 member or signatory countries and will continue working to expand access to solar power.

The U.N. Population Fund, which provides sexual and reproductive health services worldwide, has long faced opposition from Republicans. Trump cut funding to the agency during his first term, accusing it of supporting forced abortion in countries like China. When President Joe Biden took office in 2021, he restored funding, and a State Department review later found no evidence to support those claims.

Other groups the U.S. plans to leave include the Carbon Free Energy Compact, United Nations University, the International Cotton Advisory Committee, the International Tropical Timber Organization, the Pan-American Institute for Geography and History, the International Federation of Arts Councils and Culture Agencies, and the International Lead and Zinc Study Group.