The United States of America decided to withdrawal from the World Health Organization (WHO).
WHO notes statements made by the government of the United States that say WHO has “trashed and tarnished” and insulted it, and compromised its independence.
The United States of America Leaves the World Health Organization
The United States of America specifies one of the reasons for its decision,
“WHO failures during the COVID-19 pandemic”, including “obstructing the timely and accurate sharing of critical information” and that WHO “concealed those failures”.
No government or organization got everything right in responding to the COVID-19 pandemic. Nevertheless, WHO stands by its response to this unprecedented global health crisis.
WHO’s response,
“Throughout the pandemic, WHO acted quickly, shared all information it had rapidly and transparently with the world, and advised Member States based on the best available evidence. WHO recommended the use of masks, vaccines and physical distancing, but at no stage recommended mask mandates, vaccine mandates or lockdowns. We supported sovereign governments to make decisions they believed were in the best interests of their people, but the decisions were theirs.”
More Reasons for the Departure
The United States also stated that WHO has,
“…pursued a politicized, bureaucratic agenda driven by nations hostile to American interests.”
In response, the World Health Organization responds to the multiple reviews of the COVID-19 pandemic, including of the organization’s performance,
“WHO has taken steps to strengthen its own work, and to support countries to bolster their own pandemic preparedness and response capacities. The systems we developed and managed before, during, and after the emergency phase of the pandemic, and have contributed to keeping all countries safe, including the United States.”
The U.S. has extensively contributed to many of WHO’s greatest achievements, including the eradication of smallpox, and progress against many other public health threats including tuberculosis, food safety, polio, Ebola, HIV, antimicrobial resistance, influenza, malaria, neglected tropical diseases, and more.
WHO therefore regrets the United States’ notification of withdrawal — a decision that makes both the United States and the world less safe.
The World Health Organization Moves On
Though the United States of America leaves the World Health Organization, WHO appreciates the support and continued engagement of all its remaining Member States, which continue to work within the framework of WHO to pursue solutions to the world’s biggest health threats, both communicable and noncommunicable.
Most notably, WHO Member States last year adopted the WHO Pandemic Agreement, which once ratified will become a landmark instrument of international law to keep the world safer from future pandemics.
The World Health Organization expressed as follows,
“We hope that in the future, the United States will return to active participation in WHO. Meanwhile, WHO remains steadfastly committed to working with all countries in pursuit of its core mission and constitutional mandate: the highest attainable standard of health as a fundamental right for all people.
