United States Finalizes Withdrawal from World Health Organization
WASHINGTON, January 22, 2026 — The United States has officially completed its withdrawal from the World Health Organization (WHO), citing the global health body’s handling of the COVID-19 pandemic, failure to implement critical reforms, and inability to operate independently from political influence by member states.
In a joint announcement on Thursday, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and the Department of State confirmed the termination of U.S. membership in the WHO. Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the decision followed a year-long disengagement process initiated by President Donald Trump in January 2025.
Follow our channel too via: https://whatsapp.com/channel/0029VbAxPJ842DcZ2jz0ZS1S
During the withdrawal period, the U.S. halted funding to the WHO, recalled all American personnel from the organization, and shifted programs previously managed through the WHO to direct bilateral partnerships with other countries and institutions. Moving forward, U.S. engagement with the WHO will be limited strictly to administrative coordination related to the exit.
U.S. officials criticized the WHO for delaying the declaration of a global public health emergency during the early stages of the COVID-19 outbreak, a delay they say cost the world valuable time as the virus spread rapidly. They also accused WHO leadership of praising China’s response despite evidence of early underreporting, suppression of information, and delays in confirming human-to-human transmission.
The statement further noted that the organization downplayed the risks of asymptomatic transmission and was slow to acknowledge airborne spread of the virus. According to the U.S., these failures undermined global trust in the WHO’s ability to respond independently and decisively to health crises.
After the pandemic, U.S. officials said the WHO failed to enact meaningful reforms to address governance weaknesses and political influence. They also criticized a WHO report on the origins of COVID-19 for dismissing the possibility of a laboratory-related incident, despite China’s refusal to share early genetic data and information on laboratory safety conditions in Wuhan.
The U.S. government reaffirmed its commitment to global health leadership, stating it will continue to support disease prevention and emergency response through direct cooperation with countries, the private sector, non-governmental organizations, and faith-based groups. Future efforts will focus on emergency preparedness, biosecurity coordination, and health innovation, while prioritizing the protection of American citizens.
