“States left the WHO without paying a debt of 260 million dollars.”, — write: www.pravda.com.ua
illustrative photo: World Health Organization Source: Bloomberg
Details: A year after President Donald Trump ordered the U.S. to withdraw from the WHO, the process was officially completed on Thursday, although the country leaves behind an estimated $260 million in outstanding debt.
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All funding for the health agency has been suspended and WHO staff have been withdrawn from all offices and headquarters, the Department of Health and Human Services said Thursday. The US also stopped participating in WHO-funded governing bodies and working groups.
Trump signed an executive order to withdraw from the WHO on the first day of his second term, accusing the organization of mishandling the Covid pandemic, failed reform and dependence on political influence.
To leave the organization, the US must give a year’s notice and pay off all debts, according to a 1948 congressional resolution endorsed by the WHO. A high-ranking official of the US Department of Health and Human Services said during a telephone conversation with journalists that there is no requirement in the charter to repay the debt before leaving the organization.
According to WHO estimates, as of January 2025, the total debt is about $260 million.
The notice of withdrawal from the organization deprived it of its main donor. Between 2022 and 2023, the United States contributed almost $1.3 billion to the WHO budget. Without that money, the agency’s work to fight diseases like HIV, polio and Ebola would be in jeopardy.
After Trump signed the order, the European Union called on the United States to reconsider its decision and urged members of the organization to strengthen their commitments. WHO has 193 member states. Argentina also announced its intention to withdraw from the organization.
WHO plans to discuss legal options for solving the US debt issue at its regular meeting in May. But WHO does not have the authority to enforce its decisions. The organization can claim that the US is still a member — albeit an inactive one — with outstanding debt.
The Trump administration is also backing away from other global health issues. Last year, Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency dismantled the US Agency for International Development, which focused on humanitarian aid and health care programs. Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. cut US support for the Global Vaccine Alliance, which provides immunization to low-income countries.
The State Department has launched global health initiatives with about 60 countries to expand disease surveillance and management cooperation, which could serve as a workaround for the WHO Pandemic Agreement.
A senior official at the US Department of Health and Human Services said more information on the US global health strategy will be released in the coming months. According to the official, there are currently no plans to return to the WHO.