During a regular press conference on January 8, Vietnam's Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesperson Pham Thu Hang was asked to comment on the US announcement on January 7 that it had withdrawn from 66 international organizations.

"Vietnam supports multilateralism and values the role of multilateral organizations, especially the United Nations (UN), in contributing to global governance and addressing common world issues based on the UN Charter and international law," Hang said.

Vietnam hopes countries continue to uphold multilateralism, actively contributing to building and strengthening multilateral institutions and international law for global peace, stability, cooperation, and sustainable development. "Vietnam is ready to actively participate and contribute to global and regional multilateral mechanisms within its capacity," the spokesperson added.

Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesperson Pham Thu Hang. Photo: BNG

US President Donald Trump signed a document on January 7, requiring executive departments and agencies to cease participation in and funding for 35 non-UN organizations and 31 UN entities. This decision was made because these bodies "no longer served Washington's interests."

Among the 31 UN organizations impacted are the Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) regional commissions for Africa, Latin America and the Caribbean, Asia and the Pacific, and Western Asia. Also included are the International Law Commission (ILC) and the International Trade Centre (ITC).

Notably, the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) is among the withdrawn organizations. This foundational treaty underpins all major international climate agreements. The UNFCCC was adopted at the Rio Earth Summit in June 1992 and ratified by the US Senate later that year, during President George H.W. Bush's administration.

The US also withdrew from UN Women, an organization dedicated to gender equality and women's empowerment, as well as the UN Population Fund (UNFPA). UNFPA is a specialized agency focusing on family planning and maternal and child health in over 150 countries. Last year, the US cut funding to UNFPA.

Trump had long expressed dissatisfaction with the level of US funding for these multilateral organizations, urging other countries to increase their contributions.

Ngoc Anh