US Pulls Out of World Health Organization Amid Criticism Over Covid-19 Response
In an unexpected move, former US President Donald Trump has ordered the US to leave the World Health Organization (WHO), effective immediately. This decision comes as no surprise, given Trump's past criticism of the organization over its handling of the Covid-19 pandemic.
During his term in office, Trump had accused the WHO of being biased towards China and taking a "China-centric" approach to addressing the outbreak. His administration also made efforts to withdraw from the WHO, which was seen as a major blow to global public health efforts.
Under the Biden administration, however, the US reversed its decision to leave the WHO, becoming one of the organization's largest funders. Despite this, Trump has now signed an executive order to initiate the process of withdrawing the US from the WHO once again.
The official reason for the move is given as the WHO's alleged mishandling of the Covid-19 pandemic and its failure to adopt urgently needed reforms. The executive order also mentions the organization's inability to demonstrate independence from political interference and "unfairly onerous payments" made by the US to the WHO.
Experts are warning that this decision could have devastating consequences for global public health, particularly in fighting infectious diseases such as malaria, tuberculosis, and HIV/AIDS. Ashish Jha, a former Covid-19 response coordinator under President Biden, has said that the move is "a grievous wound" to world health and will harm America's leadership and scientific prowess.
Lawrence Gostin, a global public health expert and Georgetown University professor, adds: "Trump's executive action on the WHO withdrawal underscores his persistent disinformation, anti-science, and partisan approach to domestic and foreign affairs. This move reverses years of progress made in advancing global health security."
The news has sent shockwaves around the world, with many calling for cooperation and collective effort to address the increasing threat of infectious diseases.
This marks Trump's second attempt at pulling out from the WHO, following a previous withdrawal order by his administration that was quickly reversed under the Biden presidency.