US Gov’t Announces Intent to Exit World Health Organization
President Donald Trump signed an Executive Order on January 20, 2025, to put the process in motion for the United States to withdraw from the World Health Organization (WHO), the global public health agency of the United Nations. The Executive Order served as a notice of the intent of the US to withdraw from WHO. The agency is responsible for evaluating and responding to global health issues, including pandemics.
In the Executive Order, the President outlined reasons for the US leaving the agency as “the organization’s [WHO’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.”
In response, WHO stated: “The World Health Organization regrets the announcement that the United States of America intends to withdraw from the Organization,” said WHO in a January 21, 2025, statement…”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.”
The US was one of the founding member of WHO in 1948 and is one of 193 other UN Member States, which includes participation in the World Health Assembly and Executive Board. The intent to to withdraw serves as a 12-month notice to leave WHO and to end financial contributions to the agency as part of membership to WHO, which also requires Congressional action.
Source: White House and World Health Organization