UN chief regrets US decision to withdraw from numerous UN entities: spokesperson

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres had expressed regret over the announcement by the White House regarding the U.S. decision to withdraw from a number of United Nations entities, his spokesperson said in a statement on Thursday.

The UN chief's response came as the United States is to withdraw from 66 international organizations in accordance with a presidential memorandum signed by U.S. President Donald Trump on Wednesday.

The memorandum applies to 31 UN entities and 35 non-UN entities, which the White House said "no longer serve American interests."

"We will continue to focus our work in the field, and you know, this is an organization of member states. These member states represent the global population, and it should not be just up to the secretary's job to defend the organization. We depend on civil society, we depend on people, we depend on the private sector and the other members of this organization who should be defending it vocally," said Dujarric.

The spokesperson said that according to the UN Charter, assessed contributions to the United Nations regular budget and peacekeeping budget, as approved by the (UN) General Assembly, are a legal obligation under the UN Charter for all member states, including the United States.

The United Nations has a responsibility to serve those who rely on it, and it will continue to fulfill its mission with unwavering determination. All UN agencies will persist in fulfilling the duties entrusted to them by the member countries, he added.

The spokesperson also confirmed that the United States did not pay its dues to the United Nations in 2025.

Dujarric said that a member state may lose its voting rights at the UN General Assembly at some point if it does not pay its dues to the United Nations for a certain number of years.

"It's Article 19. So, it's not a decision of the secretary-general. It's in the Charter, and it implies that at some point a country may lose its vote in the General Assembly," he stressed.

UN chief regrets US decision to withdraw from numerous UN entities: spokesperson

UN chief regrets US decision to withdraw from numerous UN entities: spokesperson

Nicaragua's co-foreign minister Valdrack Jaentschke has warned that militarism must never be allowed to rise again, as Japan's recent moves to lift its arms export ban and revise the pacifist Constitution continue to draw international concern.

This year marks the 80th anniversary of the opening of the Tokyo Trials, where Japan's Class-A war criminals from World War II were brought to justice.

In an interview with China Global Television Network (CGTN), Valdrack Jaentschke voiced his concern that today's world order is being undermined by interventionism and other challenges.

"It is necessary for us to remember that after the end of World War II, countries worked hard to build a new international order based on international law. However, regrettably, more than 80 years later, we are seeing that this once explored and attempted order is being challenged by interventionism, a confrontational mindset, and tendencies like 'might makes right.' These are precisely the conditions that gave rise to fascism and militarism in the past, which ultimately led to the tragedy of World War II," he said.

He said the international community has a responsibility to pursue a new international order -- one fundamentally grounded in peace.

"Looking back at the history more than eight decades ago and comparing it with today's reality, it is our responsibility to recognize that the world should, and must, build a new international order that is more just, fairer, rooted in international law, based on a logic of mutual benefit and shared success, and fundamentally grounded in peace," said the minister.

"Today, as we revisit the Tokyo Trials, it is meant to remind the world that such a tragedy must never be repeated -- and that we must do everything in our power to prevent it from happening again. We must stop that dark world -- born from militarism, interventionism, and fascism -- from ever returning," he said.

Nicaraguan FM warns of militarism revival