US has left the WHO

A year after President Donald Trump ordered the US to withdraw from the WHO, the process was officially completed on Thursday, although the country leaves behind an unpaid debt of approximately $260 million, Bloomberg reports.

All funding for the health agency has been cut off, and WHO staff have been recalled from all offices and headquarters, the Department of Health and Human Services said Thursday. The US has also stopped participating in WHO-funded governing bodies and working groups.

Trump signed an order to withdraw from the WHO on the first day of his second term, accusing the organization of mishandling the Covid pandemic, failing to reform, and being dependent on political influence.

To leave the organization, the US must give one year's notice and pay off all debts, according to a 1948 congressional resolution that established the WHO. A senior US Department of Health and Human Services official said in a conference call with reporters that the charter does not require the US to pay off its debt before leaving the organization.

The WHO estimates that as of January 2025, the total debt is about $260 million.

The announcement of withdrawal from the organization deprived it of its main donor. Between 2022 and 2023, the US contributed nearly $1.3 billion to the WHO budget. Without this money, the agency's work to combat diseases such as HIV, polio, and Ebola would be jeopardized.

After Trump signed the executive order, the European Union called on the US to reconsider its decision and urged members of the organization to strengthen their commitments. The WHO has 193 member states. Argentina has also announced its intention to withdraw from the organization.

The WHO plans to discuss legal options for resolving the US debt issue at its next meeting in May. But the WHO has no authority to enforce its decisions. The organization can claim that the US is still a member — albeit an inactive one — with unpaid debt.

The Trump administration is also backing away from other global health issues. Last year, Elon Musk's Department of Government Efficiency eliminated the US Agency for International Development, which focused on humanitarian aid and health programs. Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has cut US support for the Global Alliance for Vaccines, which provides immunizations to low-income countries.

The State Department has begun working on global health initiatives with about 60 countries to expand disease surveillance and manage cooperation, which could serve as a workaround for the WHO pandemic agreement.

Высокопоставленный чиновник Министерства здравоохранения и социальных служб США заявил, что в ближайшие месяцы будет опубликовано больше информации о глобальной стратегии США в области здравоохранения. По словам чиновника, пока нет и не планируется в будущем возвращение в состав ВОЗ.

Фото: theweek.in.