WHO Statement on Notice of Withdrawal of the United States

As a founding member of the World Health Organization (WHO), the United States has contributed significantly to many of WHO’s greatest achievements, including the eradication of smallpox and progress in the fight against many other public health threats, including polio, HIV, Ebola, influenza, tuberculosis, malaria, neglected tropical diseases, antimicrobial resistance, food safety, and more.

The WHO therefore regrets the announcement by the United States to withdraw from the WHO – a decision that makes both the United States and the world less safe. Notice of withdrawal raises questions it will be considered by the WHO Executive Board at its regular meeting starting on 2 February and by the World Health Assembly at its annual meeting in May 2026.

WHO takes note of statements by the United States government saying that WHO has “trashed and defamed” and insulted it and threatened its independence. The reverse is true. As we do with every Member State, WHO has always sought to work with the United States in good faith, with full respect for its sovereignty.

In its statements, the United States cited “WHO’s failures during the COVID-19 pandemic,” including “hindering the timely and accurate sharing of critical information,” and that the WHO “covered up these failures” as one of the reasons for its decision. While no single organization or government has gotten everything right, the WHO stands behind its own answer to this unprecedented global health crisis. Throughout the pandemic, WHO acted quickly, shared all the information it had quickly and transparently with the world, and advised Member States based on the best available evidence. The WHO recommended the use of masks, vaccines and physical distancing, but at no stage did it recommend mask mandates, vaccine mandates or quarantine. We supported sovereign governments to make decisions they believed were in the best interests of their peoples, but the decisions were theirs.

Immediately after receiving the first reports of a cluster of cases of “pneumonia of unknown cause” in Wuhan, China on 31 December 2019, the WHO requested more information from China and activated its emergency incident management system. By the time the first death was reported from China on January 11, 2020, the WHO had already alerted the world through official channels, public statements and social media, brought together global experts and issued comprehensive guidance for countries on how to protect their populations and health systems. When the Director-General of the WHO declared COVID-19 a Public Health Emergency of International Concern under the International Health Regulations on January 30, 2020 – the highest level of alarm under international health law – there were fewer than 100 reported cases outside of China and no reported deaths.

In the first weeks and months of the pandemic, the director-general repeatedly called on all countries to take immediate action to protect their populations, warning that “the window of opportunity is closing”, “this is not a drill” and describing COVID-19 as “public enemy number one”.

In response to multiple reviews of the COVID-19 pandemic, including WHO’s work, WHO has taken steps to strengthen its own work and support countries in strengthening their own pandemic preparedness and response capacity. The 24/7 systems we developed and managed before, during, and after the emergency phase of the pandemic helped keep all countries, including the United States, safe.

The United States also said in its statements that the WHO “followed a politicized, bureaucratic agenda driven by nations hostile to American interests.” This is false. As a specialized agency of the United Nations, administered by 194 Member States, the WHO has always been and remains impartial and exists to serve all countries, with respect for their sovereignty and without fear or favour.

WHO appreciates the support and continued engagement of all its Member States, who continue to work within WHO to find solutions to the world’s greatest threats to health, both infectious and non-infectious. First of all, WHO member states last year adopted the WHO Pandemic Agreement, which after ratification will become a key instrument of international law to protect the world from future pandemics. Member States are now negotiating an annex to the WHO Agreement on Pandemics, a Pathogen Access and Benefit-Sharing System, which, if adopted, will promote the rapid detection and sharing of pathogens with pandemic potential and equitable and timely access to vaccines, therapies and diagnostics.

We hope that in the future the United States will return to active participation in the WHO. In the meantime, WHO remains firmly committed to working with all countries to achieve its core mission and constitutional mandate: the highest possible standard of health as a fundamental right for all people.