Trump orders US to leave World Health Organization

US President Donald Trump has authorized an executive order to initiate the procedure for pulling the US out of the World Health Organization (WHO).

“Wow, that’s quite significant,” the newly sworn-in US president remarked as he authorized the document after returning to the White House. It was among the many executive actions he signed on the first day of his presidency.

This is the second occasion Trump has directed the US to withdraw from the WHO. Trump expressed discontent with the way the international organization managed Covid-19 and initiated the withdrawal from the Geneva-based entity during the pandemic. President Joe Biden subsequently overturned that choice. Implementing this executive action on the first day increases the chances that the US will officially withdraw from the international agency.

“They were eager for our return, so we will wait and see what unfolds,” Trump stated in the Oval Office, mentioning the WHO, possibly suggesting that the US may eventually come back. The directive indicated that the US was exiting “because of the organization’s poor management of the Covid-19 outbreak that originated in Wuhan, China, along with other international health emergencies, its lack of essential reforms, and its failure to show independence from the undue political pressure of WHO member nations.”

The executive order additionally stated that the withdrawal stemmed from “unjustly burdensome payments” the US contributed to the WHO, which is a component of the United Nations.

During Trump’s first term, he criticized the organization for being excessively “China-centric” in its approach to the Covid-19 pandemic. He claimed the WHO showed favoritism toward China in the guidance it provided during the crisis. Under the Biden administration the US continued to be the largest funder of the WHO and in 2023 it contributed almost one-fifth of the agency’s budget.

The organization’s annual budget is $6.8 billion (£5.5 billion).Public health experts have been critical of Trump’s decision to leave the WHO, warning there could be consequences for Americans’ health.Some have suggested the move could reverse progress made on fighting infectious diseases such as malaria, tuberculosis and Hiv & Aids.

Ashish Jha, who formerly worked as Covid-19 response co-ordinator under President Biden, previously warned leaving would “harm not only the health of people around the world, but also US leadership and scientific prowess”.

“It’s a cataclysmic presidential decision. Withdrawal is a grievous wound to world health, but a still deeper wound to the US,” Lawrence Gostin, a global public health expert and Georgetown University professor said.