US President Donald Trump signed on January 20 an executive order initiating the withdrawal of the United States from the World Health Organization (WHO).
This decision marks a significant move for the Trump administration, as it is the second attempt of the country to exit the Geneva-based agency, following a previous effort during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The executive order, just one of the slew of executive orders Trump signed on his first day at the White House, cites the WHO’s handling of the COVID-19 crisis and its perceived bias towards China as key reasons for the withdrawal, alongside claims of unfair financial expectations placed on the US.
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According to the EO, the withdrawal was “due to the organization’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.
“In addition, the WHO continues to demand unfairly onerous payments from the United States, far out of proportion with other countries’ assessed payments. China, with a population of 1.4 billion, has 300% of the population of the United States, yet contributes nearly 90% less to the WHO.”
While the Biden administration had previously reversed Trump’s withdrawal efforts and continued to support the WHO as its largest funder, contributing almost a fifth of its budget, public health experts now express concern that the latest withdrawal could hinder global health progress, particularly in combating infectious diseases like malaria and tuberculosis, US media reported.
