US President Donald Trump has signed an executive order that begins the process of withdrawing the United States from the World Health Organization (WHO).
After returning to the White House, the newly sworn-in US president said, “Oh, that’s a big deal” while approving the document. This was one of dozens of executive actions he signed on his first day in office.
This is the second time President Trump has ordered the United States to withdraw from the WHO.
President Trump has criticized international organizations for their response to the coronavirus and has begun the process of withdrawing from the Geneva-based international organization during the pandemic. President Joe Biden later reversed that decision.
If this executive action is carried out on the first day, it is likely that the United States will formally withdraw from the world organization.
President Trump mentioned the WHO in the Oval Office and said, “They wanted us back very much, so we’ll see what happens,” suggesting the US may eventually return. Maybe he did.
The order lists the reasons for the U.S. withdrawal as “the organization’s mishandling of the COVID-19 pandemic arising from Wuhan, China, and other global health crises; its failure to implement urgently needed reforms; “Because they cannot demonstrate independence from inappropriate conduct.” Political influence of WHO member states.”
The executive order also said the withdrawal was the result of “unreasonably high payments” the United States made to the WHO, which is part of the United Nations.
When Trump was still in office, he criticized the organization for being too “China-centric” in its response to the coronavirus pandemic.
President Trump accused the WHO of being biased toward China when it issued guidelines on the outbreak.
The US remained the largest donor to the WHO under the Biden administration, contributing almost a fifth of the WHO’s budget in 2023.
The organization has an annual budget of $6.8 billion (£5.5 billion).
Public health experts have criticized President Trump’s decision to withdraw from the WHO, warning that it could affect the health of Americans.
Some have suggested the measure could reverse progress in fighting infectious diseases such as malaria, tuberculosis, HIV and AIDS.
Ashish Jha, who served as COVID-19 response coordinator under President Biden, previously said that his resignation “will have a negative impact not only on the health of people around the world, but also on the leadership and scientific capabilities of the United States.” ‘ he warned.
“This is a devastating presidential decision,” said Lawrence Gostin, a global public health expert and professor at Georgetown University. ” he said.
