The United States formalize their withdrawal from the World Health Organization (WHO)
The United States have officially announced their withdrawal from the World Health Organization (WHO), a decision Washington justifies by what it describes as serious failures by the institution during the COVID-19 pandemic. According to US authorities, these shortcomings caused direct harm to the American people and make a break with the UN agency necessary.
In a joint statement, Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Secretary of Health Robert F. Kennedy Jr. specified that the decision is part of the commitments made by President Donald Trump from the first day of his second term, through the signing of Presidential Executive Order 14155. The withdrawal would therefore allow the United States to free itself from the “constraints” imposed by the WHO.
Washington considers that the organization has drifted away from its original mission, like other international institutions, by repeatedly acting against US interests. American authorities notably denounce what they describe as a politicized and excessively bureaucratic management, influenced, in their view, by countries hostile to the interests of the United States.
The statement also points to the WHO’s responsibility in delays in sharing information deemed essential during the health crisis, estimating that these failures may have cost lives. The United States further accuse the organization of having attempted to conceal these shortcomings under the pretext of protecting public health.
From now on, US engagement with the WHO will be strictly limited to procedures related to the implementation of the withdrawal, as well as actions necessary to protect the health and security of American citizens. Washington confirmed the complete cessation of its financial and operational participation in the organization’s programmes.
The American authorities nevertheless affirm their intention to continue exercising global leadership in public health, by prioritizing direct, bilateral partnerships focused on concrete results. The United States thus intend to continue preventing health threats, protecting their territory against infectious diseases, and contributing to global health security through mechanisms they consider more transparent, more effective, and better targeted.
Editorial team/le7tv
