The World Health Organization (WHO) on Tuesday decried new US President Donald Trump‘s Monday decision to withdraw the US from the UN agency.
The WHO “plays a crucial role in protecting the health and security of the world’s people, including Americans, by addressing the root causes of disease, building stronger health systems and detecting, preventing and responding to health emergencies, including disease outbreaks and often in dangerous places where others cannot go,” spokesperson Tarik Jasarevic told a Tuesday briefing in Geneva.
Noting that the US was a founding member of WHO in 1948, Jasarevic said that for over seven decades, the WHO and the US 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,” he said. “American institutions have contributed to and benefited from membership in WHO.”
According to the spokesperson, the US represented 18% of the total 2023 budget and is the “largest single donor.”
“So we have to see, really, how this will play out, and we need to see what will be the consequences,” he said.
Asked by Anadolu whether the agency will be in contact with the Trump administration to request it to reconsider, he said: “We hope the United States will reconsider and we look forward to engaging in constructive dialogue to maintain the partnership between the USA and WHO, for the benefit of the health and well-being of millions of people around the globe.”
Jasarevic underlined that the WHO will analyze the impact of the US announcement, in particular bridging the resulting funding shortfall.
“We have already been engaged in what we call an investment round, trying to diversify the funding and try to have more sustainable funding for WHO, so we can cover our general plan of work that is given to us by member states,” he said.
WHO spokesperson Alessandra Vellucci said that, to her knowledge, the withdrawal letter had not yet been received by the UN secretary-general due to the announcement’s timing.
“But I’m expecting some kind of declaration today from New York,” she said.
On Monday, his first day in office, Trump signed dozens of executive orders, including one beginning the country’s withdrawal from the UN agency, as well as withdrawing the US from the Paris climate change agreement.
“World Health ripped us off. Everybody rips off the United States, and that’s it. It’s not going to happen anymore,” Trump said. He also took steps to quit the body in 2020, during his first term as president.