Donald Trump used one of the numerous executive actions he issued on his first day as US president to begin the process of withdrawing the United States from the World Health Organization for the second time in less than five years, a move that many scientists they fear that can revert the progress achieved over decades in the fight against diseases such as AIDS, malaria and tuberculosis.
Experts have also warned that withdrawing from the organization could weaken global defenses against new outbreaks capable of triggering pandemics.
During the first Oval Office appearance of his second term, Trump signed an executive order detailing how the withdrawal process could begin.
“Oh!” Trump exclaimed upon receiving the action to sign. “This is a big one!”
Their move calls for pausing the future transfer of funds from the U.S. government to the organization, withdrawing and reassigning federal staff and contractors working with the WHO, and asking officials to “identify credible and transparent U.S. and international partners to take over previously carried out activities.” by” the WHO.
This is not the first time Trump has attempted to sever ties with the WHO. In July 2020, several months after the WHO declared COVID-19 a pandemic and as cases were increasing globally, the Trump administration officially notified UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres that The United States planned to withdraw from the WHO, suspending funding to the agency.
President Joe Biden reversed Trump’s decision on his first day in office in January 2021, only for Trump to essentially relive it on his first day back in the White House.
It is the UN specialized health agency and has the mandate to coordinate the global response to global health threatsincluding mpox, ebola and polio outbreaks. It also provides technical assistance to poorer countries, helps distribute scarce vaccines, supplies and treatments, and sets guidelines for hundreds of health conditions, including mental health and cancer.
“A US withdrawal from the WHO would make the world much less healthy and safe”explained Lawrence Gostin, director of the WHO Collaborating Center on Global Health Law at Georgetown University. He said in an email that losing American resources would devastate the WHO’s global surveillance and epidemic response efforts.
Former New Zealand Prime Minister Helen Clark said it was not in American interests to withdraw from the agency now, especially given the “appalling proposal” that bird flu there could become a pandemic.
He described Trump as “a disruptor” and argued that the loss of US funding for the WHO would cause “a pretty substantial blow” to the agency.
Yes, as long as you get congressional approval and meet your financial obligations to WHO for the current fiscal year. The United States joined the WHO through a 1948 joint resolution passed by both houses of Congress, which has subsequently been endorsed by all administrations. The resolution requires the United States to provide a one-year notice period if it decides to leave the WHO.
It’s extremely bad. The United States has historically been one of the WHO’s largest donors, providing the agency with not only hundreds of millions of dollars but also hundreds of employees with specialized public health expertise.
In the last decade, The United States has given the WHO between $160 million and $815 million each year.. The WHO’s annual budget is approximately $2 billion to $3 billion. Losing US funding could cripple numerous global health initiatives, including the effort to eradicate polio, maternal and child health programs, and research to identify new viral threats.
US agencies that work with the WHO would also suffer, including the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Leaving the WHO would exclude the United States from WHO-coordinated efforts, such as determining the annual composition of flu vaccines and rapid access to WHO-managed genetic databases, which could stall attempts to produce immunizations and medications.
At a campaign rally in September, Trump denounced “the corruption” at the WHO and other public health institutions that he said were “dominated” by corporate power and China.
His executive order said the United States was withdrawing from the WHO “due to its mishandling of the COVID-19 pandemic that emerged in Wuhan, China and other global health crises” and cited the agency’s “failure to urgently adopt reforms.” necessary” and its “inability to demonstrate independence from inappropriate political influence of WHO member states.”
The WHO committed several costly mistakes during the pandemic, including advising people against wearing masks and stating that COVID-19 was not airborne. The agency only officially acknowledged last year that the virus does indeed spread through the air.
During its efforts to stop COVID-19, the WHO also faced the biggest sexual abuse scandal in its historywhen reports emerged that dozens of Congolese women had been sexually harassed or assaulted by health workers responding to an Ebola outbreak. The news agency AP found that senior managers were informed of some cases of sexual abuse when they occurred in 2019, but did little to stop them or punish the perpetrators.
In a statement on Tuesday, the WHO said that “regrets” Trump’s announcement.
“We hope that the United States reconsider and we look forward to engaging in a constructive dialogue to maintain the partnership between the United States and the WHO,” the organization said.
“For more than seven decades, WHO and the United States have saved countless lives and protected Americans and all people from health threats. “Together, we ended smallpox, and together we have brought polio to the brink of eradication,” the WHO added.
At a news conference in Geneva on Tuesday, WHO spokesman Tarik Jasarevic said: The United States contributed 18% of the WHO budget in 2023making him the largest donor that year. He declined to say what the US withdrawal might mean for the WHO.
(with information from AP)
