The United States has formally withdrawn from the World Health Organization, declaring that it will not rejoin the UN health body and will instead pursue public health cooperation directly with individual countries. The Trump administration said the exit reflects what it called serious failures by the WHO in handling the COVID-19 pandemic.
President Donald Trump ordered the withdrawal on the first day of his presidency in 2025 through an executive order. A joint statement from the US Departments of Health and State said Washington would maintain only limited technical engagement with the WHO solely to complete the withdrawal process. A senior US health official said there were no plans to participate even as an observer and no intention of rejoining in the future.
Under US law, Washington was expected to give one year’s notice and clear outstanding dues of roughly $260 million before leaving. However, the State Department disputed that payment was a legal condition for withdrawal, arguing that the US had already paid more than enough. The Department of Health and Human Services confirmed that all US funding contributions to the WHO have been terminated, citing the financial burden the organisation allegedly imposed on the country.
Witnesses said the US flag was removed from outside the WHO headquarters in Geneva on Thursday. The move comes amid a broader US pullback from several UN bodies, fuelling concerns that Washington’s newly launched Board of Peace initiative could further undermine multilateral institutions.
Global health leaders had urged the US to reconsider. WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus had warned that a US exit would damage global health security. The WHO said the US has not paid its assessed contributions for 2024 and 2025, and member states will discuss the implications of the withdrawal at the executive board meeting in February.
Legal experts said the move likely violates US law but may still stand. Lawrence Gostin of Georgetown University said Trump is unlikely to face consequences for bypassing statutory requirements. At Davos, Bill Gates said he did not expect the US to reverse course soon but would continue advocating for a return, warning that the world still needs the WHO.
The departure has triggered a severe financial crisis for the organisation. The WHO has already halved its senior management, cut budgets across departments, and plans to reduce its workforce by about 25% by mid-year. The US had been the WHO’s largest donor, contributing around 18% of its total funding.
Public health experts warned that the withdrawal weakens global disease surveillance and emergency response systems. Kelly Henning of Bloomberg Philanthropies said the move risks undermining the international cooperation needed to detect, prevent and respond to future health threats, posing dangers not just globally but also to the United States itself.
