US Withdrawal from WHO Undermines Missions, Finances – WHO
The World Health Organization (WHO) has warned that the recent executive order withdrawing the U.S. from the organization by President Donald Trump may undermine its core mission.
WHO, a specialized agency of the United Nations focused on international public health, on Tuesday said it “regrets” the announcement made by the White House.
The United States is WHO’s largest state benefactor, providing 15.6 percent of its overall revenue in the most recent 2022-2023 biennium period, followed by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation at 12.7 percent.
The U.S. withdrawal, which will involve a pause on funds being sent to WHO, will add to the organization’s financial difficulties after just last week it issued an emergency funding appeal seeking an additional $1.5 billion to address global health challenges.
The organization’s statement read., “We hope the United States will reconsider and we look forward to engaging in constructive dialogue to maintain the partnership between the USA and WHO, for the benefit of the health and well-being of millions of people around the globe”.
Established in 1948, WHO currently works with 194 nations, including the U.S., and is focused primarily on global health emergencies.
In 2021, Trump initiated the process of withdrawing the U.S. from the organization, citing as reasons its response to the COVID-19 pandemic, as well as its failure to adopt “urgently needed reforms” and demonstrate its independence from the political influence of China.
President Biden retracted the move on his first day in office, writing a letter to U.N. Secretary-General António Guterres in which he stated that the WHO “plays a crucial role in the world’s fight against the deadly COVID–19 pandemic as well as countless other threats to global health and health security.”
On Monday, however, Trump signed an executive order revoking Biden’s decision. On top of the criticisms, leveled during his previous administration, Trump wrote that the WHO “continues to demand unfairly onerous payments from the United States, far out of proportion with other countries’ assessed payments.”
However, there is debate over whether Trump can unilaterally end America’s commitments to the WHO without Congressional approval. A Congressional Research Service report, released during Trump’s initial withdrawal attempt, outlined various ways Congress could potentially restrict or condition such a move.
