The United States has officially completed its leave from the World Health Organization (WHO). Washington left the organization with an outstanding debt of about $260 million. All US funding to the WHO has been suspended, and American representatives have been retired from all governing bodies, working groups, and offices of the agency. This is reported by Bloomberg.
The withdrawal procedure lasted exactly a year. President Donald Trump signed the corresponding decree on the first day of his second term (in January 2025). He accused the organization of a failed response to the COVID-19 pandemic, a lack of reforms, and dependence on “undue political influence”.
According to a 1948 Congressional resolution, a country must give a year’s notice to withdraw from the WHO and repay all financial obligations. The WHO confirmed that the US debt is $260 million. However, a senior official from the US Department of Health and Human Services told reporters that there is no clear legal requirement to repay the debt by the time of withdrawal.
The US withdrawal has left the WHO without its main donor. During 2022-2023, America contributed almost $ 1.3 billion to the organization’s budget. The loss of these funds threatens programs to combat HIV, polio, and Ebola.
Experts are sounding the alarm about the loss of access to data. Without participation in the global flu tracking system, the US will have a harder time adapting its vaccines to new strains of the virus.
Following the US, Argentina announced its intention to leave the organization.