Israel Ends Ties with UN Women, UNCTAD and ESCWA Over Allegedly Hostile Reporting

Israel announces immediate withdrawal from seven United Nations agencies and affiliated bodies on January 14, 2026. The announcement is made by Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar, citing alleged political bias and bureaucratic inefficiency in the concerned UN bodies.

Israel’s Withdrawal from UN Agencies (Jan 2026):

Dimension	Key Details
Announcing authority	Announcement is made by Israel’s Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar.
Reasons cited	Withdrawal is justified as a response to alleged political bias and bureaucratic inefficiency.
Trigger behind decision process	Internal review initiated after the United States exited 66 international organisations.
Review basis	A review evaluates whether continued engagement with UN bodies serves national interests, finding some agencies biased against Israel or lacking neutrality and effectiveness.
UN bodies already disengaged	Israel has cut ties with multiple UN bodies, ending cooperation with the UN Office for Children in Armed Conflict after being blacklisted in 2024, and with UN Women in July 2024 over its response to sexual violence during the October 7 attacks.
Additional withdrawals announced	Israel provides for exit from the UN Conference on Trade and Development and the UN Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia; both are described by the Foreign Minister as issuing persistently hostile reports against Israel.
Planned future withdrawals	Israel provides for plans to withdraw from the UN Alliance of Civilisations, UN Energy, and the Global Forum on Migration and Development, citing anti-Israel positioning and excessive bureaucratic processes.
UN structure	Specialized agencies, funds and regional commissions.
Membership and withdrawal rule	Member states can withdraw from individual UN bodies without exiting the UN itself.
Focus areas	UN Women focuses on gender equality; UNCTAD deals with trade, investment and development issues.