WHO Confirms US Withdrawal Notification Highlights Future Cooperation

As a founding member of the World Health Organization (WHO), the United States has made substantial contributions to several of WHO's most significant accomplishments, including the eradication of smallpox and advancements in combating numerous other public health threats such as polio, HIV, Ebola, influenza, tuberculosis, malaria, neglected tropical diseases, antimicrobial resistance, food safety, and more.

WHO therefore regrets the United States’ notification of withdrawal from WHO – a decision that makes both the United States and the world less safe. The notification of withdrawal raises issues that 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 from the government of the United States that claim WHO has “trashed and tarnished” its reputation and insulted it, thereby compromising its independence. The opposite is true. As we do with every Member State, WHO has always sought to engage with the United States in good faith, fully respecting its sovereignty.

In its statements, the United States cited "WHO failures during the COVID-19 pandemic" as one of the reasons for its decision, mentioning “obstructing the timely and accurate sharing of critical information” and claiming that WHO “concealed those failures.” While no organization or government achieved perfection, WHO stands by its response to this unprecedented global health crisis. Throughout the pandemic, WHO acted swiftly, sharing all the information it possessed rapidly and transparently with the world, and advising Member States based on the best available evidence. WHO recommended the use of masks, vaccines, and physical distancing, but never mandated masks, vaccines, or lockdowns. We supported sovereign governments in making decisions that they believed were in their people's best interests, but the ultimate choices were theirs.

Immediately after receiving the first reports of a cluster of cases of "pneumonia of unknown cause" in Wuhan, China on December 31, 2019, the WHO requested more information from China and activated its emergency incident management system. By the time the first death was reported in China on January 11, 2020, the WHO had already alerted the world through formal channels, public statements, and social media, convened global experts, and published comprehensive guidance for countries on how to protect their populations and health systems. When the WHO Director-General 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 early weeks and months of the pandemic, the Director-General repeatedly urged all countries to take swift action to safeguard their populations, warning that "the window of opportunity is closing," that "this is not a drill," and labeling COVID-19 as "public enemy number one."

In response to the various evaluations of the COVID-19 pandemic, including an assessment of the World Health Organization's (WHO) performance, the WHO has implemented measures to enhance its operations and to assist countries in improving their pandemic preparedness and response capabilities. The systems we developed and maintained before, during, and after the emergency phase of the pandemic, which operate continuously, have played a significant role in ensuring the safety of all countries, including the United States.

The United States has also stated that the WHO has "pursued a politicized, bureaucratic agenda driven by nations hostile to American interests." This is false. As a specialized agency of the United Nations, overseen by 194 Member States, the WHO has always been, and continues to be, impartial, existing to serve all countries while respecting their sovereignty, and doing so without fear or favor.

WHO appreciates the support and continued engagement of all its Member States, which continue to work within the framework of WHO to pursue solutions to the world’s biggest health threats, both communicable and noncommunicable. Most notably, WHO Member States last year adopted the WHO Pandemic Agreement, which once ratified will become a landmark instrument of international law to keep the world safer from future pandemics. Member States are now negotiating an annex to the WHO Pandemic Agreement, the Pathogen Access and Benefit Sharing system, which if adopted will promote rapid detection and sharing of pathogens with pandemic potential, as well as equitable and timely access to vaccines, therapeutics, and diagnostics.

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