Washington DC [US], January 23 (ANI): The United States on Thursday formally terminated its membership in the World Health Organization (WHO), criticizing the body for inefficient bureaucracy, mishandling of the COVID-19 pandemic, and what it called “failures” that affected the American people.
In a joint statement, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Health Secretary Kennedy said that going forward, US engagement with the WHO will be limited strictly to effectuating its withdrawal and safeguarding the health and safety of Americans.
“All US funding for, and staffing of, WHO initiatives has ceased. The United States will continue to lead the world in public health, saving millions of lives and protecting Americans at home by preventing infectious disease threats from reaching our shores while advancing global health security through direct, bilateral, and results-driven partnerships. We will continue to work with countries and trusted health institutions to share best practices, strengthen preparedness, and protect our communities through a more focused, transparent, and effective model which delivers real outcomes rather than the bloated and inefficient bureaucracy of the WHO,” the statement read.
It added, “Today, the United States withdrew from the World Health Organization, freeing itself from its constraints, as President Trump promised on his first day in office by signing E.O. 14155. This action responds to the WHO’s failures during the COVID-19 pandemic and seeks to rectify the harm from those failures inflicted on the American people. Promises made, promises kept.”
The statement accused the WHO of abandoning its core mission and acting against US interests despite America being a founding member and the organization’s largest financial contributor. “The Organization pursued a politicized, bureaucratic agenda driven by nations hostile to American interests. In doing so, the WHO obstructed the timely and accurate sharing of critical information that could have saved American lives and then concealed those failures under the pretext of acting ‘in the interest of public health,’” it said.
It further criticized the WHO for refusing to return the American flag displayed at its headquarters, claiming it had not approved the US withdrawal and even asserting that the US owed compensation. “From our days as its primary founder, primary financial backer, and primary champion until now, our final day, the insults to America continue,” the statement said.
Concluding, the joint statement said, “Today, we right these injustices and bring an end to the bureaucratic inertia, entrenched paradigms, conflicts of interest, and international politics that have rendered the organization beyond repair. We will get our flag back for the Americans who died alone in nursing homes, the small businesses devastated by WHO-driven restrictions, and the American lives shattered by this organization’s inactivity. Our withdrawal is for them.”
The termination follows a broader move earlier this month, when President Trump signed a memorandum directing the withdrawal of the United States from international organizations, conventions, and treaties deemed “contrary to the interests” of the US. The White House statement noted withdrawal from 35 non-UN organizations and 31 UN entities, including key UN bodies such as the Department of Economic and Social Affairs, International Law Commission, International Trade Centre, Peacebuilding Commission, UN Energy, UN Population Fund, and UN Water. (ANI)
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