US Withdraws from World Health Organization

• 23 Jan 2026

On 22nd January 2026, the Trump administration announced that the United States had officially completed its withdrawal from the World Health Organization (WHO).

• US President had signed an executive order a year ago initiating the withdrawal, accusing the WHO of being overly “China-centric” during the Covid-19 pandemic.
• The US Department of Health and Human Services cited the WHO’s alleged mishandling of Covid-19, failure to reform, and political influence by member states as reasons for the exit.
• The WHO rejected these claims, with Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus calling the withdrawal a loss for both the US and global public health.
• The US has also refused to pay pending arrears of about $260 million for 2024–25, despite WHO lawyers saying the payments are obligatory.
• Impact: The U.S. withdrawal weakens the WHO’s financial base and global health coordination, potentially affecting disease surveillance, pandemic preparedness, and health programmes in developing countries.