WHO Warns Against U.S. Withdrawal

The World Health Organization expressed concern on Saturday, stating that the U.S. pulling out from the organization would make both the country and the globe “less safe.” In a statement released on January 24, WHO stated that it “deplores the United States’ notice of withdrawal from the WHO, a decision that diminishes the security of both the U.S. and global health.”

They added, “We hope that the United States will reengage in the WHO in the future.”

The U.S. officially announced its departure from the WHO last week, following President Trump’s decision on his first day in office last year.

In a joint statement, Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Secretary of Health and Human Services Robert F. Kennedy Jr. noted, “Today, as President Trump promised when he signed EO 14155 on his first day in office, the United States is withdrawing from the World Health Organization, freeing us from its constraints.”

They went on to say, “From this point on, U.S. involvement in the WHO will be strictly limited to effectuate the withdrawal and protect the health and safety of the American public. All U.S. funding and staffing for WHO efforts has been suspended.”

The U.S. officials criticized the WHO for being “pursuing politicized bureaucratic objectives driven by countries hostile to American interests.” The WHO, however, refuted those claims, asserting, “This is not true. As a specialized agency of the United Nations governed by 194 member states, WHO has been and will continue to be impartial, respect sovereignty, and exist to serve all nations without fear or favor.”