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In a repeat of 2020, US President Trump acts to take US out of WHO
The United States’s President Donald Trump’s relationship with the World Health Organization (WHO) has been a contentious one.
So it comes as no surprise that “Withdrawing the US from the WHO” featured in the first lot of executive orders the second-time US President signed on his first day in office.
A response from the Geneva-headquartered WHO is awaited, but public health voices have expressed their disappointment, calling the decision “unfortunate”.
In May 2020, during Trump’s first term, he had called to cut ties with the WHO, even as health administrations across the world were dealing the Covid-19 pandemic and the life and livelihood ramifications of the lockdowns.
Trump had been a vocal critic of the WHO’s alleged “China-centric” approach. The WHO Director General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus had then responded urging leaders to not politicise the pandemic.
This time too, Trump points to “mishandling” of Covid-19.
“The United States noticed its withdrawal from the World Health Organization (WHO) in 2020 due to the organization’s mishandling of the COVID-19 pandemic that arose out of Wuhan, China, and other global health crises, its failure to adopt urgently needed reforms, and its inability to demonstrate independence from the inappropriate political influence of WHO member states. In addition, the WHO continues to demand unfairly onerous payments from the United States, far out of proportion with other countries’ assessed payments. China, with a population of 1.4 billion, has 300 percent of the population of the United States, yet contributes nearly 90 percent less to the WHO,” the Order said.
“The United States intends to withdraw from the WHO. The Presidential Letter to the Secretary-General of the United Nations signed on January 20, 2021, that retracted the United States’ July 6, 2020, notification of withdrawal is revoked,” the order said.
Other actions it outlined included: “pause the future transfer of any United States Government funds, support, or resources to the WHO;” and to “cease negotiations on the WHO Pandemic Agreement”, adding that “actions taken to effectuate such agreement and amendments will have no binding force on the United States. “
“Multilateral cooperation essential”
“In an era where multilateral cooperation is essential for collectively addressing major global health challenges that arise from pandemic threats, climate change catalysed assaults on human health and anti-microbial resistance, USA’s withdrawal from WHO is extremely unfortunate,” said Dr Srinath Reddy, veteran public health voice told businessline.
“In an interconnected and interdependent world, It will have adverse consequences not only for other countries but also for USA too. Since WHO will lose its major national financial contributor, other countries will need to step up their contributions and increase the level of scientific collaboration amongst themselves. Both international cooperation and self-reliance will now acquire new purpose and fresh forms of functioning,” he said.
Reinvent?
Another senior public health representative, who did not want to be quoted added, “It (US withdrawal) has a huge impact on the funds available at WHO for its work. But also may be an opportunity for WHO to reinvent itself. The whole process of withdrawal will take a year and have enough opportunity to renegotiate. But is unfortunate for public health. It was expected and WHO had initiated an invest round last year. I am sure WHO will work to gather more funds to sustain its functions. Immediately there may not be any effect but in the coming months definitely it will. I hope the negotiations will work and USA will continue in WHO though definitely with reduced funding.”
Last time around, the World Health Assembly saw Chinese President Xi Jinping commit funds of $2 billion over two years to the WHO. Other leaders including France’s President Emmanuel Macron reinforced the need for the WHO, albeit in a stronger role. The “WHO is us,” he had said.
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