Germany said Tuesday it will try to dissuade U.S. President Donald Trump from pulling out from the World Health Organization as many global health experts fear the move could substantially weaken global health security and set back progress in fighting infectious diseases like AIDS and malaria.
“The new U.S. president’s announcement to withdraw from the World Health Organization (WHO) is a serious blow to the international fight against global health crises,” German Health Minister Karl Lauterbach said.
“We will try to persuade Donald Trump to reconsider this decision,” he added.
Experts have also cautioned a U.S. pull out from the Geneva-based UN health body could weaken the world’s defences against future pandemics.
Trump previously signalled intent to pull out of the WHO in July 2020, several months after WHO declared COVID-19 to be a global public health emergency. Former U.S. president Joe Biden reversed that decision when he was inaugurated in January 2021.
Here’s a look at what Trump’s announcement means:
What reasoning did Trump give?
Trump said the WHO had failed to act independently from the “inappropriate political influence of WHO member states” and required “unfairly onerous payments” from the U.S. that were disproportionate to the sums provided by other, larger countries, such as China.
“World Health ripped us off, everybody rips off the United States. It’s not going to happen anymore,” Trump said at the signing of an executive order on the withdrawal, shortly after his second inauguration on Monday.
At a September campaign rally, Trump said he would “take on the corruption” at WHO and other public health institutions that he said were “dominated” by corporate power and China.
What does WHO do?
The UN’s specialized health agency co-ordinates the world’s response to global health threats, including outbreaks of mpox, Ebola and polio. It also provides technical assistance to poorer countries, helps distribute scarce vaccines, supplies and treatments and sets guidelines for hundreds of health conditions, including mental health and cancer.
Dr. Tom Frieden, a former director of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), said Trump’s move “surrenders our role as a global health leader and silences America’s voice in critical decisions affecting global health security.”
“We cannot make WHO more effective by walking away from it,” Frieden said in a statement. “This decision weakens America’s influence and increases the risk of a deadly pandemic.”
How could the U.S. withdraw?
Trump would need the approval of Congress. The U.S. also needs to meet its financial obligations to WHO for the current fiscal year. The U.S. joined WHO via a 1948 joint resolution passed by both chambers of Congress, which has subsequently been supported by all administrations. The resolution requires the U.S. to provide a one-year notice period should it decide to leave WHO.
What could a withdrawal mean for WHO?
The United States is by far the WHO’s biggest financial backer, contributing around 18 per cent of its overall funding. WHO’s most recent two-year budget, for 2024-25, was $6.8 billion US.
The U.S. departure is likely to put at risk programs across the organization, according to experts both inside and outside the WHO, such as tackling tuberculosis, the world’s biggest infectious disease killer, as well as HIV/AIDS and other health emergencies.
Donald Trump was sworn in as the 47th president of the United States and quickly took action against the southern border, declared there were only two genders and suggested tariffs against Canada and Mexico could come into effect by Feb. 1.
Trump’s order said the administration would cease negotiations on the WHO pandemic treaty while the withdrawal is in progress. U.S. government personnel working with the WHO will be recalled and reassigned, and the government will look for partners to take over necessary WHO activities, according to the order.
The next-largest donor to the WHO is the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, although most of that funding goes to polio eradication. Its chief executive Mark Suzman said on X that the foundation would continue to make the case to strengthen not weaken the WHO. The next-largest state donor is Germany, which contributes around three per cent of the WHO’s funding.
Dr. Madhukar Pai, professor of epidemiology and global health at McGill University in Montreal, said he’s not surprised, but deeply saddened by Trump’s announcement given the climate crisis and pandemics require trans-national collaboration and co-operation.
“WHO is the only UN agency that has the mandate and authority to convene nations and align them on common, shared goals,” Pai said in an email from WHO meetings in Geneva.
Pai said he hopes the U.S. administration reconsiders.
“At the same time, I hope other G7 and G20 countries will step up and fill the massive funding and leadership gap that the U.S. will leave. This is a chance for Canada to step up, show our solidarity, increase our funding to WHO and fill a vital need. This can be Canada’s big contribution to improving global health and security,” he said.
When asked about Trump’s decision and remarks, China’s foreign ministry told a regular media briefing on Tuesday that the WHO’s role in global health governance should only be strengthened, not weakened.
“China will continue to support the WHO in fulfilling its responsibilities, and deepen international public health cooperation,” said Guo Jiakun, a ministry spokesperson.
What are some of WHO’s mistakes?
WHO initially advised people against wearing masks during the COVID-19 pandemic. The agency only officially acknowledged last year that the virus spreads in the air.
How has WHO responded to Trump?
WHO said it hopes the U.S. will reconsider.
“For over seven decades, WHO and the U.S.A. have saved countless lives and protected Americans and all people from health threats. Together, we ended smallpox, and together we have brought polio to the brink of eradication,” the WHO said.
WHO spokesperson Tarik Jasarevic declined to say what the U.S. withdrawal might mean for WHO.
