The US announced its rejection of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and the 2030 Agenda adopted within this framework. The Trump administration, speaking at the UN General Assembly, declared that the country would no longer support these goals.
The editorial office reports that on the same day, the US also announced its withdrawal from the board of directors of the Loss and Damage Fund established by the UN. The said fund was established at the COP27 summit held in 2022 and aimed to provide financial support to countries most affected by natural disasters resulting from climate change. US representatives on the fund's board of directors resigned, stating that they would not transfer their duties to another representative.
US representative Edward Hartney, during his speech at the General Assembly, called the SDGs “a global governance initiative contrary to US sovereignty and detrimental to American interests.” He added that the Trump administration is implementing “an open and overdue course correction against gender and climate ideology.”
On the same day, the US voted against several resolutions. These included documents titled “International Day of Living Together in Peace” and “Education for Democracy.” The US representative called the inclusion of SDGs as justification in these documents “circular and illogical” and criticized them for “not using precise language regarding the existence of only two sexes.”
The General Assembly, however, adopted both resolutions by a large majority. The US remained in opposition, voting alongside only Israel and Argentina. Furthermore, these steps in Washington's climate policy coincide with its renewed withdrawal from the Paris Agreement and its departure from a coalition providing financial support for clean energy transition in developing countries.