Argentina To Exit WHO, Two Weeks After Trump Announced U.S. Withdrawal From Organisation
Trump had announced the United States’ withdrawal from the WHO on January 21, 2025, through an executive order.
Argentina has said it will withdraw from the World Health Organization (WHO), aligning with former US President Donald Trump’s decision to sever ties with the global health body last month.
“President (Javier) Milei instructed (foreign minister) Gerardo Werthein to withdraw Argentina’s participation in the World Health Organization,” presidential spokesperson Manuel Adorni said at a news conference on Wednesday, CNN reports.
“We Argentinians will not allow an international organization to intervene in our sovereignty, much less in our health,” he added.
Trump had announced the United States’ withdrawal from the WHO on January 21, 2025, through an executive order.
The order seeks to “pause the future transfer of any United States Government funds, support, or resources to the WHO” and to “identify credible and transparent United States and international partners to assume necessary activities previously undertaken by the WHO.”
Before issuing the order, Trump had frequently criticised the WHO’s handling of the COVID-19 pandemic. Speaking at the White House after his inauguration, he accused the organisation of financial mismanagement and alleged that the United States was paying more than its fair share.
A statement posted on the White House website reads, “The United States noticed its withdrawal from the World Health Organization (WHO) in 2020 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 percent of the population of the United States, yet contributes nearly 90 percent less to the WHO.
“The United States intends to withdraw from the WHO. The Presidential Letter to the Secretary-General of the United Nations signed on January 20, 2021, that retracted the United States’ July 6, 2020, notification of withdrawal is revoked.
“Executive Order 13987 of January 25, 2021 (Organizing and Mobilizing the United States Government to Provide a Unified and Effective Response to Combat COVID–19 and to Provide United States Leadership on Global Health and Security), is revoked.
“Global System Negotiations. While withdrawal is in progress, the Secretary of State will cease negotiations on the WHO Pandemic Agreement and the amendments to the International Health Regulations, and actions taken to effectuate such agreement and amendments will have no binding force on the United States.”
The withdrawal of the United States is expected to trigger a significant restructuring of the institution and could further disrupt global health initiatives.
The US, the largest donor to the Geneva-based organisation, provides substantial financial support that is vital to the WHO’s operations.
