Since taking office less than a month ago, United States President Donald Trump’s executive orders have put numerous rights at risk in the US and around the world. 

The Trump administration’s cuts to crucial funding and attacks on a variety of institutions are pausing lifesaving work and putting millions of people in harm’s way. Meanwhile, the administration’s attacks on the International Criminal Court (ICC) threaten justice for victims of grave abuses.

Here’s some of the latest we’re watching: 

• Trump’s cuts in funding are threatening several lifesaving United Nations programs. The US is the UN’s top financial contributor, but it can no longer be trusted to honor those commitments. One of Trump’s recent executive orders said the US would cease engagement with the UN Human Rights Council and review its membership in the UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). It also banned US funding for the UN Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA), which provides aid and other vital services to Palestinian refugees.
• Suspension of US foreign aid has also forced health programs all over the world, including HIV prevention programs, to halt or curtail operations and deny patients lifesaving medicines. Although the State Department issued waivers designed to resume some vital programs, many are still halted due to staffing disruptions and unclear guidance.
• On February 6, Trump issued an executive order authorizing sanctions on the ICC with the court’s prosecutor being the first individual targeted. The ICC is currently investigating serious crimes in Ukraine and Palestine and the court’s prosecutor also has ongoing investigations related to Afghanistan, Myanmar, Sudan, Libya, and Venezuela, among other countries. The sanctions threaten this important work.

In the face of these attacks, other countries have a role to play. Following the announcement of ICC sanctions, 79 ICC member states expressed their support for the court and its crucial mandate. Member states can also act to mitigate some of the sanctions’ effects. Other countries, too, can step up funding for the UN’s work around the globe to help fill the void as the US pulls back.

Read our latest on Trump’s orders here.