Washington: The United States has formally withdrawn its membership from the World Health Organization (WHO), fulfilling a promise made by President Donald Trump on his first day in office. The Trump administration announced the move on Friday, declaring that it has severed ties with the global health body to free the nation from what it termed the organization's "constraints."
In a joint statement, Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. confirmed that the withdrawal was executed through Executive Order 14155. The officials framed the decision as a direct response to the WHO’s alleged failures during the COVID-19 pandemic, which they claim inflicted significant harm on the American people. "This action responds to the WHO’s failures during the COVID-19 pandemic and seeks to rectify the harm from those failures inflicted on the American people," the statement read, accusing the WHO of abandoning its core mission despite the US being a founding member and its largest financial contributor.
The administration launched a scathing critique of the organization, alleging that the WHO pursued a "politicized, bureaucratic agenda driven by nations hostile to American interests." The statement specifically cited the organization's failure to ensure timely and accurate information sharing during the height of the pandemic, arguing that these lapses may have cost American lives and were subsequently concealed under the guise of public health interests.
Tensions reportedly escalated even during the exit process. The administration claimed that following the decision to withdraw, the WHO refused to hand over the American flag displayed at its headquarters and disputed the validity of the withdrawal. "From our days as its primary founder, primary financial backer, and primary champion until now, our final day, the insults to America continue," the statement remarked.
Effective immediately, all US funding and staffing for WHO initiatives have been terminated. Engagement with the body will now be limited strictly to finalizing the withdrawal process. The administration emphasized that the US will pivot its global health strategy toward direct, bilateral partnerships and cooperation with "trusted health institutions," rather than relying on what it described as a "bloated and inefficient bureaucracy."
The White House framed the withdrawal as a tribute to Americans impacted by the pandemic, including those who lost their lives in nursing homes and business owners affected by restrictions. "Our withdrawal is for them," the statement concluded. The United States had been a member of the WHO since its founding in 1948.
(Inputs from IANS)