US to withdraw from WHO amid legal, global health concerns

The United States has notified the World Health Organisation (WHO) of its intention to withdraw, a move announced on the first day of President Donald Trump’s 2025 presidency via an executive order, Reuters reports, although U.S. law requires a one-year notice and the settlement of all outstanding financial obligations before the exit can take effect; a U.S. State Department spokesperson said the WHO’s failure “to contain, manage and share information” had cost the country trillions of dollars and confirmed a pause on future U.S. funding, while the WHO said Washington has not paid its assessed contributions for 2024 and 2025, with member states expected to discuss the issue at the WHO executive board meeting in February, as legal experts questioned the move’s legality, WHO Director General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus urged the U.S. to reconsider, and public health experts warned the withdrawal could weaken global disease prevention efforts, especially as the agency grapples with budget cuts following the loss of its largest donor.