The United States has announced its withdrawal from the World Health Organization (WHO), a move that had been promised by President Donald Trump before the election. The decision was made public in a series of executive orders signed by Trump, who has repeatedly criticized the organization, particularly during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Trump had accused the WHO of being slow to react to the pandemic and of being controlled by China. The White House statement said that the US had given the WHO notice of its intention to leave in 2020 due to the organization’s handling of the pandemic, its failure to adopt needed reforms, and its inability to demonstrate its independence from the political influence of its member states.
The US had been the WHO’s second-largest contributor, providing over $1.28 billion in the last two years. Germany, the organization’s largest contributor, had given over $600 million in 2021 alone. The WHO had previously awarded the city of Berlin a hub designation, reportedly as a thank you to the German government.
The withdrawal process is expected to take a year, as per the time frame set by the US when it joined the WHO in 1948. Trump had previously suspended US funding to the WHO and initiated the withdrawal process, but the decision was reversed by President Biden shortly after taking office.