US turns its back on global efforts for women and children terrorized by violence and conflict

by Shelley Inglis, Rutgers University, [This article first appeared in The Conversation, republished with permission] The Trump administration’s recent announcement that it is withdrawing from 66 international organizations and treaties is another blow to the global system where all countries unite to share concerns, agree on rules of conduct and determine agendas for collective action. Coming on the heels of the U.S. attack on Venezuela – considered a violation of international law – the White House claims, without specific justification, that these organizations and initiatives “operate contrary to U.S. national interests, security, economic prosperity or sovereignty.” Some experts say many of these organizations are niche and peripheral initiatives. They say the groups receive little money from the U.S., anyway. Additionally, most of the U.N. entities on the administration’s list are part of the U.N.’s main body, the Secretariat, which gets its funding primarily from membership dues that are required by legal obligations. In fact, the U.S. can’t technically withdraw from these groups without leaving the U.N. completely. It can, however, select not to participate in meetings of these bodies or finance them through additional funds. Moreover, with the White House already defunding the foreign assistance that supported many of these
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