United Nations confirms US will leave World Health Organization in 2026
After Trump pledged to end US funding of the organization on Monday in his first day in office, UN deputy spokesperson Farhan Haq said on Thursday that the withdrawal was now underway.
“I can confirm that the US letter regarding the WHO withdrawal has been received. It is dated 22 January 2025. It would take effect a year from yesterday, on 22 January 2026”, Haq said.
Additionally, Trump directed Marco Rubio, the US government’s director of management and budget, to “pause the upcoming transfer of any United States Government funds, supports, or resources to the WHO.”
Washington has ordered the US government’s representatives to stop participating in negotiations for a WHO-led global treaty on pandemics. They are also requesting that the US government recalled all US government employees who work with the WHO.
The WHO will lose its most significant financial backer as a result of the US’s exit.
The US contributes about 18 percent of the organisation’s funding, which amounted to about $261m between 2024 and 2025. China comes in second with $181 million, followed by that contribution. According to experts, the WHO’s ability to address major crises like tuberculosis, HIV/AIDS, and global pandemies will be affected by the organization’s loss of its top donor.
In his first year in office, Trump had requested to leave the organization in July 2020 after he had accused the WHO of handling the COVID-19 pandemic.
When Trump lost the 2020 presidential election to Joe Biden, who immediately withdrew the order once in office, that withdrawal attempt was thwarted.
Numerous health experts accuse Trump and his administration of stifling the country’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic, which claimed the lives of tens of thousands of Americans.
The WHO expressed regret over the US’s announcement to leave and said its work “plays a crucial role in protecting the health and security of the world’s people, including Americans.”
The WHO stated, “We hope the United States will reconsider, and we look forward to engaging in constructive dialogue to maintain the partnership between the United States and WHO, for the benefit of the health and well-being of millions of people around the world.”
According to Jean Galbraith, a professor at the University of Pennsylvania Law School, whether Trump unilaterally withdraws from the US membership without congressional approval is a question mark since the US joined the WHO in 1948 through joint resolutions from both Congressional houses.
Trump’s Republican party controls both the US Senate and House of Representatives, but the withdrawal could still be challenged in court, legal experts said. Trump opted to leave the WHO in a nutshell. But we joined WHO in 1948 by an act of Congress. Trump needs Congress ‘ approval to withdraw”, Lawrence Gostin, director of the O’Neill Institute for National and Global Health Law at Georgetown University, wrote on social media.
Without the help of Congress and the courts, his decision was too catastrophic. As director of a WHO Center, I am considering a lawsuit”, Gostin said.
Trump unilaterally decided to leave the WHO. But we joined WHO in 1948 by an act of Congress. Trump needs Congress ‘ approval to withdraw. Without the help of Congress and the courts, his decision is too catastrophic. As director of a WHO Center, I am considering a lawsuit.
Source: Aljazeera
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