Trump orders US withdrawal from WHO

President Donald Trump announced on Monday that the United States will withdraw from the World Health Organization (WHO), accusing the global health body of mishandling the COVID-19 pandemic and being influenced by political pressures from its member states.

Trump criticised the WHO for failing to act independently and for demanding “unfairly onerous payments” from the US, which he claimed were disproportionate to what other larger countries, like China, contributed. “World Health ripped us off, everybody rips off the United States. It’s not going to happen anymore,” he said after signing an executive order for the withdrawal.

The move means the US will cease its financial contributions to the WHO, which is the organisation’s largest donor, providing about 18% of its total funding. Experts warn that the US departure could jeopardise crucial health programmes, including those tackling tuberculosis, HIV/AIDS, and other health emergencies.

As part of the order, the US will stop negotiations on the WHO’s pandemic treaty, recall American staff working with the agency, and seek new partners to take over key activities. The US will also review its Global Health Security Strategy.

Although the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and other organisations are major contributors, Germany is the next largest national donor, providing around 3% of the WHO’s funding.

Trump had previously attempted to leave the WHO in 2020, accusing the agency of helping China to mislead the world about the origins of COVID-19, a claim that the WHO has denied.

With agency reports