US withdraws from WHO, removes its flag from outside Geneva headquarters

New Delhi: The United States has officially withdrawn from the World Health Organization (WHO). The US Department of Health and Human Services and the State Department issued a statement announcing that the US is no longer officially a member of the WHO. The American flag has also been removed from outside the WHO headquarters in Geneva. The US said it will work with the WHO on a limited basis to complete the process of withdrawal from the organization.

A senior official from the US Department of Health and Human Services said there are no plans to participate as an observer, nor to rejoin the organization. The US clearly stated that it will work with other countries, rather than international organizations, on disease surveillance and other public health priorities. The US also said that this decision reflects the failures of the UN health agency in managing the COVID-19 pandemic.

The US took this step despite warnings for over a year that it could harm US and global public health services. The US said it will work with the WHO on a limited basis to complete the withdrawal process. Under US law, a one-year notice and payment of all outstanding dues are required before withdrawing from the organization. According to the WHO, the US owes it $260 million.

A WHO spokesperson had said that the US had not yet paid its dues for 2024 and 2025. However, a US State Department official said that the American public has already paid enough. The US official also denied that there is any legal requirement to pay before withdrawing from the organization. Lawrence Gostin, founding director of the O’Neill Institute for Global Health Law at Georgetown University, said this is a clear violation of US law, but it is highly likely that Trump will get away with it. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) has announced that the government has ended its funding to the World Health Organization (WHO). According to an HHS spokesperson, President Trump, using his executive authority, has blocked any future transfer of U.S. government resources to the WHO. The organization has reportedly cost the United States trillions of dollars. A WHO spokesperson stated that member states will discuss the U.S. withdrawal and related issues at the Executive Board meeting in February.