US finally pulls out of WHO for failure to implement reforms
US President Donald Trump. | Photo: AFP
US will continue its global health reach through engagements with private sector actors, non-governmental organisations.
The United States has officially withdrawn from the World Health Organisation, citing the global health body’s handling of the COVID-19 pandemic and failure to implement necessary reforms, the White House announced on Thursday.
In a statement shared by the White House, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and the US Department of State said the withdrawal was due to “the organisation’s mishandling of the COVID-19 pandemic that arose out of Wuhan, China, its failure to adopt urgently needed reforms, and its inability to demonstrate independence from the inappropriate political influence of WHO member states.”
Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. and Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the US would “be coordinating with WHO solely in a limited fashion to effectuate withdrawal.”
The process began on January 20, 2025, when President Donald Trump announced the plan to leave WHO.
Over the year, the U.S. stopped funding the organisation, withdrew personnel, and redirected activities previously conducted with WHO to direct engagements with other countries and organisations.
The White House criticised WHO for delaying the declaration of a global public health emergency and pandemic in the early stages of COVID-19, “costing the world critical weeks as the virus spread.”
It said WHO leadership had “echoed and praised China’s response despite evidence of early underreporting, suppression of information and delays in confirming human-to-human transmission.”
The statement added that the organisation also downplayed asymptomatic transmission risks and failed to promptly acknowledge airborne spread.
WHO was also faulted for failing to implement reforms after the pandemic.
“Its report evaluating the possible origins of COVID-19 rejected the possibility that scientists created the virus, even though China refused to provide genetic sequences from individuals infected early in the pandemic and information on the Wuhan laboratories’ activities and biosafety conditions,” the statement said.
WHO said the U.S. has not paid membership fees for 2024 and 2025, totalling roughly $260 million. The organisation said member states would discuss the U.S. departure during its executive board meeting in February, but had no means to prevent the exit.
WHO Director-General, Dr. Tedros Ghebreyesus, expressed regret, saying, “I hope that the US will reconsider its decision and rejoin WHO. Withdrawal is a loss for the US and also a loss for the rest of the world… It was not about money but about cooperation and solidarity.”
The White House said the U.S. will continue its global health leadership through engagements with other countries, private sector actors, non-governmental organisations, and faith-based groups, prioritising emergency response, biosecurity coordination, and health innovation both at home and abroad.
