The United States’ decision to withdraw from more than sixty international organisations marks a profound shift in its engagement with global cooperation. The move affects a wide range of institutions linked to humanitarian aid, public health, climate coordination, development, and international governance - many of them connected to the United Nations system. Supporters frame the decision as a reassertion of national sovereignty and fiscal accountability. Critics warn it risks weakening collective responses to crises that no nation can address alone.
The withdrawals come at a time of extraordinary global fragility. Armed conflicts continue in regions such as Sudan, Ukraine, Gaza, and the Sahel. Climate-driven disasters are increasing in scale and frequency. Millions remain displaced, food insecurity is rising, and public-health systems in low-income countries remain vulnerable to outbreaks. International coordination has often been imperfect, but it has provided shared frameworks for early warning, humanitarian access, and advocacy for those with little voice.
Humanitarian agencies caution that reduced U.S. participation may create funding gaps, limit information-sharing, and weaken diplomatic pressure where protection of civilians is most urgently needed. Faith leaders have also expressed concern that disengagement from global institutions diminishes moral leadership on issues of justice, peace, stewardship of creation, and care for the poor.
For the Church, this moment calls for discernment rather than despair. Scripture reminds us that God remains sovereign over nations and history, even amid political change. As policies shift, the people of God are invited to pray for wisdom in leadership, perseverance in humanitarian work, and renewed compassion for those who suffer - trusting that God can still work powerfully through cooperation, advocacy, and faithful witness.
Prayer Pointers
1. Pray for Humble and Courageous Leadership
Pray that those entrusted with power would lead with bowed hearts, aware that every decision goes far beyond borders and headlines. Ask God to quiet arrogance, sharpen discernment, and anchor leaders in moral courage. Pray they would listen well, and pursue justice that protects the weak and steadies the world.
“Plans fail for lack of counsel, but with many advisers they succeed.” Proverbs 20:18
2. Pray for Humanitarian Cooperation and Protection
Pray that cooperation would prevail wherever human life hangs in the balance. Ask God to strengthen humanitarian organisations, guard aid workers from harm, and keep corridors of compassion open when politics threaten to close them. Pray that mercy would not be delayed, diverted, or denied to those suffering from conflict, hunger, disease, or environmental crisis.
“Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God.” Matthew 5:9
3. Pray for the Vulnerable and Overlooked
Pray for communities most at risk of being forgotten - refugees without home, families uprooted by violence, the poor whose cries go unheard, and minorities pushed aside. Ask God to be their defender and provider, to restore dignity where it has been stripped away, and to raise bold advocates who will stand in the gap with truth and compassion.
“The Lord watches over the foreigner and sustains the fatherless and the widow.” Psalm 146:9
Summary Prayer
Faithful God, steady the hands of leaders and soften their hearts. Preserve life where it is most fragile, strengthen those who serve in dangerous places, and awaken Your Church to love with courage and integrity. Let justice outlast shifting powers, and let Your purposes stand firm through every season. Amen.
Read More
- AP News — U.S. withdrawal from international organisations
https://apnews.com/article/united-nations-trump-international-organizations-withdrawal-d704fb9b444dc9cf569865d391b544a6 - White House Fact Sheet — U.S. withdrawal announcement
https://www.whitehouse.gov/fact-sheets/ - UN response and analysis (PassBlue)
https://passblue.com