President Donald Trump has signed an executive order for the US to leave the World Health Organization (WHO).
As one of his first acts as the 47th President of the US after his inauguration on 20 January, Trump signed the order to retrigger the US’s departure from WHO. He originally tried to remove the country from the organisation in 2020, but withdrawal requires one year of notice. When Biden took office six months later, he quickly revoked Trump’s action.
The order states the US was withdrawing “due to the organisation’s mishandling of the Covid-19 pandemic that arose out of Wuhan, China, and other global health crises, its failure to adopt urgently needed reforms, and its inability to demonstrate independence from the inappropriate political influence of WHO member states”.
The executive order added that the US has made “unfairly onerous payments” to the WHO. The country is the organisation’s biggest financial backer, contributing around 18% of its funding.
In response to the order, the WHO said it “regrets the announcement that the US intends to withdraw from the organization”.
A statement added: “WHO plays a crucial role in protecting the health and security of the world’s people, including Americans, by addressing the root causes of disease, building stronger health systems, and detecting, preventing, and responding to health emergencies, including disease outbreaks, often in dangerous places where others cannot go.
“The US was a founding member of WHO in 1948 and has participated in shaping and governing WHO’s work ever since, alongside 193 other member states, including through its active participation in the World Health Assembly and Executive Board. For over seven decades, WHO and the US 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. American institutions have contributed to and benefited from membership in WHO.
“With the participation of the US and other Member States, WHO has over the past seven years implemented the largest set of reforms in its history, to transform our accountability, cost-effectiveness, and impact in countries. This work continues.
“We hope the US will reconsider and we look forward to engaging in constructive dialogue to maintain the partnership between the US and WHO, for the benefit of the health and well-being of millions of people around the globe.”
It is unclear at this stage who would fill the funding gap following the US withdrawal. The Bill Gates Foundation is the WHO’s second biggest donor, but most of its funding goes to polio eradication. Other major donors include the global vaccine group Gavi, the European Commission and the World Bank. The next-largest national donor is Germany, which contributes around 3% of the WHO’s funding.