By: Isuru Parakrama
January 21, World (LNW): New US President Donald Trump confirmed on Monday (20) that the United States would be withdrawing from the World Health Organisation (WHO), citing dissatisfaction with the agency’s handling of the COVID-19 pandemic as well as its broader management of global health crises.
Trump expressed that the WHO had failed to act impartially and had been unduly influenced by the political agendas of its member states. He further criticised the financial contributions the US has been expected to make, claiming they were disproportionate compared to other countries, particularly in comparison to larger nations such as China.
“The World Health Organisation took advantage of us. Everyone takes advantage of the United States, but that ends now,” Trump stated during the announcement.
As part of the decision, the US will formally exit the WHO in one year’s time, ceasing all financial support to the organisation, which currently accounts for approximately 18 per cent of its total funding. For reference, the WHO’s budget for the 2024-2025 period is projected at $6.8 billion.
Trump’s decision to sever ties with the WHO comes as no surprise, as he had previously signalled his intent to withdraw from the organisation in 2020, accusing the WHO of being complicit in China’s efforts to obscure the true origins of the COVID-19 outbreak.
The WHO has strongly rejected these accusations, maintaining that it has consistently urged China to provide vital data to determine whether the virus originated from an animal source or potentially from research activities in a lab.
Whilst Trump has been vocal in his criticisms of the WHO’s handling of the pandemic, the United States under his leadership faced one of the highest infection rates globally, with over 111.8 million reported cases and more than 1.2 million deaths by the end of 2020.
These figures have led many critics to question the effectiveness of the far-right leader’s response to the crisis, positioning the US amongst the worst-performing countries in dealing with the pandemic.
