US set to exit WHO, sparking global health concerns

News Desk 

The United States is poised to formally withdraw from the World Health Organisation (WHO) on Thursday, a move that has sparked warnings of legal violations at home and heightened risks for global health cooperation abroad.

President Donald Trump initiated the withdrawal on the first day of his presidency in 2025 through an executive order, triggering a mandatory one-year notice period under US law.

That law also requires Washington to settle all outstanding financial obligations before leaving — a condition the WHO says has not been met. The United States currently owes the agency about $260 million in unpaid fees for 2024 and 2025.

Despite this, a US State Department spokesperson said on Thursday that the administration had halted future funding, accusing the WHO of failing to properly contain and share information during global health crises.

The spokesperson said the financial losses allegedly incurred by the US far outweighed any unpaid dues, describing the funding freeze as justified.

Legal and public health experts dispute that interpretation. “This is a clear violation of US law,” said Lawrence Gostin, a global health law expert at Georgetown University, noting that the requirement to pay arrears before departure remains binding even during withdrawal.

Return seen as unlikely

Over the past year, international health leaders have urged Washington to reconsider. WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus recently warned that the decision would harm both the US and the wider world, calling the withdrawal “a lose for everyone.”

However, prospects for a near-term reversal appear slim. Speaking at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Bill Gates said he did not expect the US to rejoin the WHO anytime soon, despite continued advocacy from global health stakeholders. “The world needs the World Health Organisation,” he said.

WHO member states are expected to discuss the US departure and its implications at the organisation’s executive board meeting in February.

Ripple effects beyond Geneva

The loss of US funding — historically about 18% of the WHO’s total budget — has already triggered deep cuts within the agency. Management positions have been halved, programmes scaled back and roughly a quarter of the workforce is set to be eliminated by mid-year, according to the WHO.

Beyond the financial strain, experts warn the withdrawal could weaken global disease surveillance and emergency response systems that also benefit the United States.

“The US withdrawal from WHO could undermine the networks the world relies on to detect, prevent and respond to health threats,” said Kelly Henning of Bloomberg Philanthropies. “That risk doesn’t stop at national borders.”

While the WHO said it has continued to share information with US authorities over the past year, how cooperation will function after the formal exit remains unclear — leaving a major gap in global health governance at a time of increasing pandemic risk.