The United States has formally withdrawn from the World Health Organisation (WHO), with the decision taking effect on Thursday—exactly one year after President Donald Trump ordered the country’s exit from the global health body.
Under WHO rules, member states are required to give a one-year notice before withdrawal becomes effective. That notice period expired today, following an executive order signed by President Trump shortly after he assumed office in 2025.
Although WHO regulations require withdrawing members to settle all outstanding financial obligations, the United States has not done so. The organisation, however, has no legal authority to compel payment or block a country from leaving.
Reacting to the development, WHO Director-General, Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, expressed regret over the decision and called on Washington to reconsider its stance.
“The withdrawal is a loss for the United States and also a loss for the rest of the world,” Tedros said, adding that the WHO remains open to a possible return by the US in the future.
President Trump had defended the move by accusing the WHO of mishandling the COVID-19 pandemic, which began in Wuhan, China, and other global health emergencies. He also criticised the organisation for what he described as a failure to carry out meaningful reforms and for operating under political influence from member states.
The executive order further faulted what it termed “unfairly onerous payments” demanded from the United States, arguing that American financial contributions were disproportionately high compared to those of other countries, including China.
Speaking during the signing of the order, Trump accused international organisations of exploiting the US.
“World Health ripped us off. Everybody rips off the United States. It’s not going to happen anymore,” he said.
The US withdrawal has created a major funding shortfall for the WHO, forcing the organisation to halve its management team and scale back operations across several departments.
Historically, the United States has been the WHO’s largest donor, accounting for about 18 per cent of the organisation’s total funding.
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