Trump withdraws US from ‘racist’ UN forum, citing push for global reparations
WASHINGTON, DC: President Donald Trump signed an executive order directing the United States to withdraw from the United Nations Permanent Forum on People of African Descent, labeling the body racist and accusing it of advancing race-based political agendas. The administration said the forum promoted policies that conflict with core constitutional principles, including what it described as a push for global reparations.
White House officials argued that the forum encouraged racial grievance politics and social frameworks rooted in identity-based victimhood rather than equal treatment under the law. According to the administration, those positions violated the Equal Protection Clause of the 14th Amendment and ran counter to longstanding US constitutional standards.
White House criticizes UN forum as race-based and divisive
Trump administration officials said the forum had increasingly promoted ideological positions that framed global policy debates through race rather than individual rights.
“America will no longer lend its credibility to racist organizations,” State Department Principal Deputy Spokesperson Tommy Pigott said in a statement.
Pigott added that the administration would no longer engage with what it described as activist-driven bodies seeking to impose domestic policy changes through international pressure.
“Radical activists who embrace DEI ideology and seek to compel the United States to adopt policies mandating race-based wealth redistribution, in organizations such as the UN Permanent Forum on People of African Descent, will no longer be entertained,” he said.
“The United States is proudly withdrawing from racist organizations such as this forum.”
Forum advocates reparations and racial equity across climate and technology policy
The forum has openly supported what it describes as a “global reparations agenda,” calling for compensation for Africa and the African diaspora over the legacies of colonialism, enslavement, apartheid, and genocide spanning from the 16th to the 19th centuries.
It has also argued that climate policy must be grounded in racial equity, asserting that climate justice efforts cannot succeed without addressing what it characterizes as historical and structural injustice.
Beyond environmental policy, the forum has extended its advocacy into emerging technologies, including artificial intelligence. It has claimed that modern technological systems perpetuate racial bias and that only “reparatory justice” frameworks can meaningfully address technology-driven discrimination.
The United Nations General Assembly created the forum by consensus on August 2, 2021, through Resolution 75/314, following a proposal from former Costa Rican Vice President Epsy Campbell Barr.
The body was established as a consultative mechanism for people of African descent and other stakeholders, with the stated aim of improving safety, quality of life, and economic opportunities for communities of African descent worldwide.
US-based forum member supported police abolition and reparations tribunal
Justin Hansford, a Howard University law professor and advocate of critical race theory, was one of the 10 members appointed to the forum. He began serving in March 2022 and was the only US-based member.
According to a report by the New York Post citing the Daily Mail, Hansford previously called for abolishing police departments, publicly supported the Black Lives Matter movement, and backed the creation of a UN tribunal that would pressure the United States to pay up to $5 million in reparations to Black Americans.
The administration cited Hansford’s views as further evidence that the forum had shifted from consultation to ideological activism.
