US election: Joe Biden to 'quickly reverse' Donald Trump's foreign policy by rejoining Paris climate accord, WHO

US President-Elect Joe Biden is reportedly planning to quickly reverse four years of Donald Trump's foreign policy by re-engaging with multilateral institutions.

Acting through executive orders, a legally binding directive from the president that does not require approval from Congress, Biden will, according to the Washington Post, immediately return the United States to the Paris Climate Agreement and the World Health Organisation (WHO).

Trump withdrew the US from the Paris agreement in one of his earliest acts as President, but the departure period only finished on Wednesday (Thursday NZT).

He moved to formally extract the US from the WHO in July after accusing it of being under Chinese control.

Biden's transition team has been quietly preparing for months for his victory and the report claims that they have put together an entire book of campaign commitments to guide them in their early decision-making.

With control of the Senate set to be decided by two run-off elections in Georgia in January, Biden may find himself reliant on executive action if Republicans in Congress block his legislative agenda.

The early days of any presidency involve filling thousands of civil service positions, many subject to Senate confirmation, which can have a significant impact on the direction of the country.