The United States is the main donor and partner of the WHO, a UN organization based in Geneva, Switzerland
The new North American president signed an executive order to withdraw the USA from the World Health Organization (WHO), a body that Donald Trump had harshly criticized for the way it handled the pandemic.
“The WHO defrauded us”, accused the Republican on Monday, when signing the decree, a few hours after taking office, justifying the withdrawal with the difference between the financial contributions of the United States and China to the organization.
In the text, Trump asks federal agencies to “suspend the future transfer of any funds, support or resources from the US government to the WHO” and directs them to “identify trusted US and international partners” capable of “assuming the activities previously carried out by WHO”.
The United States is the main donor and partner of the WHO, a UN organization based in Geneva, Switzerland.
According to the WHO, the USA contributes to the institution’s financing through a contribution indexed to its Gross Domestic Product, but also through voluntary contributions.
A US exit could force the WHO into major restructuring and undermine global public health efforts, including surveillance and outbreak response.
The WHO plays a particularly central coordinating role during global health emergencies.
During his first term, Donald Trump had already tried to remove the country from the organization, which he accused of being “controlled by China”.
However, his successor, Joe Biden, canceled the withdrawal before it came into force, as a period of one year was required between the announcement and the effective withdrawal.
“The decision to abandon [a OMS] weakens America’s influence, increases the risk of a deadly pandemic and makes us more vulnerable,” said Tom Frieden, former leader of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention under Barack Obama.
By withdrawing from the organization, the United States will lose privileged access to important epidemic surveillance data, several experts have warned, which could harm health threat prevention capabilities from abroad.
U.S. health agencies and pharmaceutical companies also rely on the WHO “to obtain the data needed to develop vaccines and therapies,” said Lawrence Gostin, professor of public health law at Georgetown University.
“Instead of being the first to receive vaccines, we will be at the back of the pack. WHO’s withdrawal inflicts a deep wound on American security and our competitive advantage in innovation,” said Gostin.
The withdrawal comes at a time when the high circulation of the bird flu virus in the United States is raising fears of a future pandemic.
In early January, the country recorded the first human death linked to the H5N1 virus.
