The U.S. Withdraws from the World Health Organization

SadaNews - The United States officially withdrew from the World Health Organization on Thursday, despite year-long warnings that this step would harm the health sector in the U.S. and globally. It stated that its decision comes as a result of the failures of the UN agency to manage the situation during the COVID-19 pandemic.

President Donald Trump announced via an executive order that the United States would withdraw from the World Health Organization on the first day of his presidency in 2025.

According to a press release from the U.S. Departments of Health and State, the U.S. interaction with the World Health Organization will be limited to the actual implementation of the withdrawal.

A senior government health official stated, "We have no plans to participate as an observer, nor do we intend to rejoin." The United States indicated it plans to work directly with other countries—rather than cooperate through an international organization—to monitor diseases and other public health priorities.

Dispute Over Dues Owed by the U.S.

Under U.S. law, Washington is supposed to issue a notice a year prior to withdrawal and pay all outstanding dues amounting to about $260 million before leaving.

However, an official from the U.S. State Department denied that the law includes a requirement to pay any amount before withdrawal.

Witnesses reported that the American flag was removed from the front of the World Health Organization's headquarters in Geneva on Thursday. In recent weeks, the U.S. has taken steps to withdraw from several other UN organizations, and some fear that the peace council established by Trump recently could undermine the UN as a whole.

Many global health experts have urged reconsideration of this step over the past year, including WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.

In a press conference earlier this month, he said, "I hope the United States will reconsider and return to the World Health Organization... withdrawing from the World Health Organization is a loss for the United States and a loss for the rest of the world."

The World Health Organization also noted that the United States has not paid its dues for 2024 and 2025.

The U.S. withdrawal has caused a budget crisis at the WHO, leading to a nearly 50% reduction in the management team and a scaling back of the organization's work, as the U.S. was the largest financial supporter of the organization, contributing about 18% of its total funding. The organization is also set to have to lay off about a quarter of its staff by mid this year.

The organization stated that it has continued to work with the United States and exchange information over the past year. It remains unclear how this cooperation will continue in the future.