Washington: The United States has withdrawn from the World Health Organisation (WHO), cutting funding and ending its formal relationship with the UN health agency that it has long been one of the largest contributors to.
US President Donald Trump had signed an executive order signalling the withdrawal a year ago, accusing the organisation of being overly ‘China-centric’ in its handling of the Covid-19 pandemic. The decision has now taken full effect, according to the US Department of Health and Human Services.
In a statement, the department said the move was driven by what it described as the WHO’s mishandling of the pandemic, its inability to reform, and political influence from member states. The WHO has strongly rejected these claims.
Joint Statement by @SecKennedy and @SecRubio on the Termination of U.S. Membership in the World Health Organization (WHO)
Read here: https://t.co/2fGSu00bGq pic.twitter.com/yIAOgmeYg6
— HHS (@HHSGov) January 23, 2026
WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said the withdrawal represented a loss not only for the organisation but also for the United States and the wider world. The agency pointed to its work in tackling polio, HIV/AIDS, maternal mortality and its leadership on the global tobacco control treaty as examples of its impact.
The decision also comes after WHO member states agreed last April on a global pandemic treaty aimed at improving preparedness and response to future outbreaks, including fairer sharing of vaccines and medicines. The US was the only country not to sign the agreement.
Washington has not paid its WHO membership fees for 2024 and 2025, leading to a significant funding shortfall. WHO lawyers say the US is still obliged to pay arrears estimated at $260 million (£193 million), but US officials said they see no reason to do so.
The US government confirmed that all funding to the WHO has been terminated, American staff and contractors have been recalled from WHO offices in Geneva and elsewhere, and hundreds of collaborative engagements have been suspended or discontinued.
In a joint statement, US Health Secretary Robert F Kennedy and Secretary of State Marco Rubio accused the organisation of abandoning its core mission and acting against US interests. They said future engagement would be limited solely to managing the withdrawal process and protecting American public health.
Officials said the US plans to pursue bilateral arrangements with other countries for disease surveillance and information sharing, and to work with NGOs and faith-based organisations on global health programmes. However, they acknowledged that specific partnerships have not yet been finalised and were unable to confirm whether the US would continue participating in the annual global flu vaccine development process.
The WHO had previously urged Washington to reconsider, saying the long-standing partnership between the two had saved countless lives and warning that a full withdrawal would harm global health efforts.
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