The United States is set to formally exit the World Health Organization (WHO) on Thursday, a year after President Donald Trump signed an executive order initiating the withdrawal.
Trump announced the decision at the start of his presidency, but under U.S. law, the country must provide one year’s notice and pay all outstanding financial obligations before a departure can take effect.
According to Reuters, the WHO said the U.S. has not paid its dues for 2024 and 2025, estimated at approximately $260 million. Member states are expected to address the situation at the WHO Executive Board meeting in February, the outlet reported.
WHO Director General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus has urged the U.S. to reconsider, calling the potential withdrawal a loss for both the U.S. and global health efforts.
“I hope the U.S. will reconsider and rejoin WHO,” he said earlier this month. “Withdrawing from the WHO is a lose for the United States, and it’s a lose for the rest of the world.”
In May, Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. issued a video statement to the World Health Assembly outlining the administration’s rationale.
“Like many legacy institutions, the WHO has become mired in bureaucratic bloat, entrenched paradigms, conflicts of interest and international power politics,” Kennedy said.
Bill Gates, chair of the Gates Foundation, which funds international health programs including some WHO initiatives, told Reuters he does not expect the U.S. to rejoin in the near future.
“I don’t think the U.S. will be coming back to WHO in the near future,” Gates said.
Trump began the U.S. withdrawal from the WHO in 2020. President Joe Biden halted that process upon taking office in 2021.
