The United States’ departure from the World Health Organization (WHO) is set to be finalized this Thursday. This comes exactly one year after the U.S. expressed its intent to withdraw from the UN agency and two days following President Donald Trump’s executive order initiating the process.
On his first day back in office, Trump signed an executive order to withdraw from WHO, alongside another one for the Paris Climate Agreement. Although he had previously removed the U.S. from WHO during his first term, President Joe Biden opted for re-entry, which reportedly cost the nation tens of millions of dollars.
The WHO’s Director-General, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, has consistently warned over the past year that the exit of financially significant member states could lead to a funding crisis, severely impacting the organization’s capacity to address health emergencies. Trump’s decision to withdraw was largely rooted in his criticism of the WHO’s handling of health crises, particularly the COVID-19 pandemic.
“The United States found itself withdrawing from the World Health Organization in 2020 over the organization’s mismanagement of the COVID-19 pandemic linked to Wuhan, China,” Trump’s executive order indicated, adding that WHO failed to implement necessary reforms and was overly influenced by political pressures.
The executive order further stated, “WHO continues to impose disproportionately high financial obligations on the U.S. compared to other member states.” For example, it highlighted that while China has a population much larger than the U.S., it contributes significantly less financially to the WHO.
In comments made to the press on January 20, 2025, Trump elaborated on the disparities in payments, arguing that while the U.S. was contributing $500 million, China was only paying $39 million.
The WHO expressed its disappointment at the announcement, urging the U.S. to reconsider and expressing a desire to continue collaborative efforts.
As the withdrawal date approaches, the Chinese Communist Party, which was partly cited by Trump as a reason for the exit, accused the U.S. of using state propaganda and pointed out its unpaid debts to the WHO.
A researcher approved by the government remarked that the U.S. not settling its debts reflects a long history of irresponsibility. He warned of significant negative repercussions for the U.S. itself, claiming that a lack of membership would isolate the country in terms of information-sharing during public health emergencies.
According to a report from Reuters, the U.S. still owes the WHO $260 million. The organization stated they would address this matter in their upcoming board meeting. Meanwhile, the State Department remarked that the U.S. contributions exceeded what was needed, suggesting that the financial implications were greater than just its dues.
WHO leader Tedros indicated earlier that losing the U.S. partnership could force the organization to reduce its budget by over 20%. Initially referring to the exit as detrimental, he later rephrased that it presented an “opportunity” for the WHO to gain more independence.
“As global recovery begins, cuts in foreign aid are striking those communities that are already most in need,” Tedros remarked at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland. He noted that many nations experienced a sudden withdrawal of aid that has led to serious funding crises for health programs.
He also pointed out that some countries view this crisis as a chance to rely more on their own resources instead of dependence on external aid. Tedros took some credit for moving away from sole reliance on U.S. funding, although he did not name the country in his comments.
“When I became Director-General in 2017, we recognized WHO’s dependence on a handful of donors as a major risk that could threaten our independence and expose us to financial shocks. Over the past years, we’ve started several reforms aimed at mitigating that risk, which we call Transforming WHO,” he stated.
“We all need to acknowledge that we can’t revert to how things used to be,” Tedros concluded. “There are significant shifts occurring in global health frameworks, but there is no doubt that the WHO must remain central to these transformations.”
