The US president had initiated the exit during his first term, a move later reversed by Joe Biden
President Donald Trump has announced that the US will exit the World Health Organization (WHO). On Monday, his first day in office, he signed an executive order to initiate the process of withdrawing, declaring that the US would leave the UN global public health agency within 12 months.
The move marks the second time Trump has ordered his country’s withdrawal from the WHO. He took steps to exit the organization in 2020, accusing it of assisting China in efforts to “mislead the world” about the origins of Covid-19. His successor Joe Biden would then reverse the decision, in his own inauguration-day move.
Trump’s order on Monday stated that the US was withdrawing “due to the organization’s mishandling of the Covid-19 pandemic.” It also cited the WHO’s alleged “failure to adopt urgently needed reforms, and its inability to demonstrate independence from the inappropriate political influence of WHO member states.”
The president also argued that the organization imposed “unfairly onerous payments” on the US, which were disproportionate compared to contributions from other, more populous countries, such as China.
”World Health ripped us off, everybody rips off the United States. It’s not going to happen anymore,” Trump said at the signing of the executive order, according to media.
The WHO, as a coordinating authority on international health issues, relies on funding from dues-paying member states and on voluntary contributions. The US has for decades been one of the organization’s largest donors. During the Biden administration, the US remained the largest contributor to the WHO, which has a budget of $6.8 billion for the current fiscal year. In 2023, nearly one-fifth of its funding was provided by the US.
The US has been a member of the WHO since its inception in 1948, and the withdrawal would make the country the only major power absent from the 194-member organization.
In a statement released on Tuesday, the WHO expressed “regret” over Washington’s decision to withdraw, emphasizing its critical role in global health and security. The agency underscored its recent reforms aimed at enhancing accountability and efficiency, urging the US to reconsider its decision for the benefit of global health.
Speaking to reporters on Tuesday, China’s foreign ministry spokesperson Guo Jiakun said Beijing would continue supporting the WHO.
“The role of the WHO should only be strengthened, not weakened,” Guo said.
In November, Trump nominated long-time vaccine skeptic Robert F. Kennedy to become US Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS). RFK Jr. was among the vocal critics of the WHO-recommended Covid-19 response measures imposed by governments around the world, namely strict lockdowns and the introduction of rapidly developed vaccines. Kennedy’s nomination has yet to be approved by the Senate.
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