UN warning: US withdrawal from WHO threatens the world
The Director-General of the World Health Organization, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, issued a stark warning about the repercussions of the Trump administration's decision to withdraw from the international organization, emphasizing that this move poses a threat not only to the United States but also to the health security of the entire world. These statements came at a critical juncture as the international community prepares to formally implement the decision, amidst hopes that Washington will reconsider its position in order to preserve global health achievements.
Context and timing of the decision
This warning comes in the wake of the US president's signing of an executive order withdrawing his country from the WHO, just hours after his return to the White House on January 20, 2025. With the decision set to take effect next week, following the expiration of the one-year legal notification period, concerns are growing about a potential leadership vacuum in international health. Historically, the United States has been a founding and active member of the WHO since 1948 and has consistently been its largest contributor, making its absence a potentially seismic event for the structure of international health cooperation.
Serious security and health repercussions
Speaking to reporters at the WHO headquarters in Geneva, Tedros Adhanom described the move as a “double loss” for the United States and the world, stressing that isolation would not bring security to Washington. He explained that “the United States is less safe by withdrawing, and so is the world,” noting that the WHO leads vital measures in epidemiological surveillance and the sharing of health intelligence—mechanisms on which Washington directly relies to protect its national security from transboundary biological threats.
Legal and financial obstacles to withdrawal
Legally, Steve Salomon, the organization's chief legal advisor, explained that the withdrawal process is not entirely automatic; it is subject to conditions that Washington itself set when it joined the organization decades ago. These conditions stipulate the need to provide a full year's notice, in addition to settling all outstanding financial obligations.
In this context, a major financial obstacle stands out, as the legal advisor revealed that Washington failed to pay its subscriptions for 2024 and 2025. This situation puts the ball in the court of the member states to consider whether the United States has met the conditions for withdrawal, given the lack of specification of the exact amounts that must be paid to legally complete the process.
Expected impact on global health systems
The impact of the US withdrawal extends beyond the financial sphere to the very core of field operations. US funding supports vital programs such as polio eradication, malaria control, and emergency response in conflict zones like Yemen and Syria. Experts fear that the absence of this support will lead to the collapse of already fragile health systems, increasing the likelihood of new outbreaks that could later spread to other countries, including the United States.
Tedros concluded by emphasizing that his call for Washington to reverse its decision stems not only from the need for money, but also from the principle of “solidarity and cooperation” necessary to confront common enemies of humanity such as the Coronavirus (COVID-19) and other potential pandemics, stressing that funding is a means and not an end, and that the ultimate goal is to protect lives.
