Marekani imejiondoa rasmi kutoka Shirika la Afya Duniani (WHO), ikiwa ni mwaka mmoja baada ya Rais Donald Trump kutangaza kusitisha ushiriki wa nchi hiyo katika shirika hilo la afya lenye historia ya miaka 78.
Trump aliarifu shirika hilo la Umoja wa Mataifa baada ya kusaini amri ya kiutendaji siku yake ya kwanza madarakani mwaka 2025. Kulingana na taratibu, kuna kipindi cha kusubiri cha mwaka mmoja kabla ya kujiondoa kukamilika rasmi.
Soma pia Rais Trump amesaini amri ya kuiondoa Marekani kwenye uanachama wa Shirika la Afya Duniani (WHO)
Rais huyo wa Marekani alitaja kile alichokiita “ushughulikiaji mbaya wa janga la UVIKO-19” na “migogoro mingine ya afya duniani” kama sababu za uamuzi huo. Pia alisema kuwa uanachama wa Marekani katika WHO ulihitaji michango mikubwa isiyo ya haki.
“Leo, Marekani imejiondoa kutoka Shirika la Afya Duniani (WHO), na kujinasua kutoka kwenye vikwazo vyake,” ilisema taarifa ya pamoja kutoka kwa Waziri wa Mambo ya Nje wa Marekani Marco Rubio na Waziri wa Afya Robert F. Kennedy Jr., iliyotolewa Alhamisi.
Hata hivyo, mchakato wa kujiondoa kwa Marekani unaonekana kuwa na utata. WHO inasema Marekani inadaiwa zaidi ya dola milioni 130, lakini bado kuna sintofahamu na kutokubaliana kuhusu deni hilo.
Nchi wanachama pia wanatarajiwa kujadili kuondoka kwa Marekani na namna itakavyoshughulikiwa katika kikao cha bodi ya utendaji ya WHO mwezi Februari, kwa mujibu wa msemaji wa shirika hilo.
Maafisa wa utawala wa Trump wanakiri kuwa bado hawajakamilisha kushughulikia masuala kadhaa, ikiwemo kupoteza upatikanaji wa taarifa za afya kutoka nchi nyingine ambazo zinaweza kusaidia Marekani kupata tahadhari za mapema kuhusu milipuko mipya ya magonjwa.
Katika kipindi cha mwaka uliopita, wataalamu wengi wa afya duniani wamekuwa wakitoa wito wa Marekani kufikiria upya uamuzi huo, akiwemo Mkurugenzi Mkuu wa WHO, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus. Wataalamu wana wasiwasi kuwa hatua hiyo inaweza kudhoofisha usalama wa afya duniani.
Kwa mwaka mzima uliopita, kumekuwepo na tahadhari kuwa kujiondoa kwa Marekani kunaweza kuathiri kwa kiasi kikubwa uwezo wa Marekani na WHO kukabiliana na milipuko ya magonjwa na vitisho vya afya ya dunia.
Kwa muda mrefu, Marekani imekuwa mfadhili mkubwa zaidi wa WHO. Shirika hilo lina jukumu la kuratibu maandalizi dhidi ya milipuko ya magonjwa kama mpox, Ebola na polio.
Pia hutoa msaada wa kitaalamu kwa nchi maskini, husaidia kusambaza chanjo adimu, na kuweka miongozo ya matibabu kwa mamia ya hali za kiafya, ikiwemo afya ya akili na saratani.
“Natumaini Marekani itafikiria upya na kurejea WHO,” alisema Ghebreyesus katika mkutano na waandishi wa habari mapema mwezi huu. “Kujiondoa WHO ni hasara kwa Marekani, na ni hasara kwa dunia nzima.”
==============
The US has officially withdrawn from the World Health Organization (WHO), a year after President Donald Trump announced he was putting an end to America's 78-year-old commitment to the health agency.
Trump notified the United Nations health agency a year ago when he signed an executive order on the first day of his office in 2025. There's a one-year waiting period before the withdrawal is finalized.
The US president cited the organization's alleged "mishandling of the COVID-19 pandemic" and "other global health crises" among reasons to quit the body. He also said that US membership in the organization required "unfairly onerous payments."
"Today, the United States withdrew from the World Health Organization (WHO), freeing itself from its constraints," said a joint statement from US Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., published Thursday.
A dispute over US-owed fees
Washington's withdrawal appears to be messy.
The US owes more than $130 million to the global health agency, according to WHO, but there is uncertainty and disagreement
over it.
Member states are also set to discuss the US departure and how it will be handled at the WHO's executive board in February, a WHO spokesperson said.
Trump administration officials acknowledge that they haven’t finished working out some issues, such as lost access to data from other countries that could give America an early warning of a new pandemic.
Over the last year, many global health experts have urged a rethink, including most recently WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus. Experts worry about weakened global health security
Over the course of last year, experts have warned that the US withdrawal stands to severely impact the abilities of both the US and the WHO to address disease outbreaks and global health threats.
The US has historically been the largest funder of the organization. The specialized health agency is mandated to coordinate preparedness when it comes to disease outbreaks like mpox, Ebola and polio.
It also provides technical assistance to poorer countries, helps distribute scarce vaccines, and sets guidelines for hundreds of health conditions, including mental health and cancer.
"I hope the US will reconsider and rejoin WHO," Ghebreyesus said at a press briefing earlier this month. "Withdrawing from the WHO is a loss for the United States, and it's a loss for the rest of the world."
Source: DW
