The US has officially withdrawn from the World Health Organization, a year after President Donald Trump announced plans to pull out of the world’s leading health alliance. According to The Washington Post, Trump justified the move by what he considered WHO’s mismanagement of the coronavirus pandemic, its failure to embrace change, and the undue political influence of some members. This withdrawal has shocked global health experts and international authorities, as the US had been the most influential member of the 194-member organization, played a key role in its founding in 1948, and was historically its largest financial contributor. In its statement regarding the withdrawal, the US Department of Health and Human Services declared that the US would remain a global leader in health, but through existing and new partnerships directly with other countries, the private sector, non-governmental organizations, and “faith-based” entities. A Senior Department of Health & Human Services official said that future US-led global health efforts would build upon the presence already established by federal health agencies, such as the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the National Institutes of Health, and the Food and Drug Administration in 63 countries, as well as bilateral agreements with hundreds of other nations.

Source: Egypt Independent January 25, 2026 12:30 UTC