Trump Administration Signals Formal Withdrawal From W.H.O.
By Katie Rogers and Apoorva Mandavilli
July 7, 2020
WASHINGTON — The Trump administration has formally notified the United Nations that the United States will withdraw from the World Health Organization, a move that would cut off one of the largest sources of funding from the premier global health organization in the middle of a pandemic.
“The United States’ notice of withdrawal, effective July 6, 2021, has been submitted to the U.N. secretary general, who is the depository for the W.H.O.,” a senior administration official said on Tuesday.
The departure would take effect sometime next year, should the United States meet established conditions of giving a one-year notice and fulfilling its current financial obligations, Stéphane Dujarric, a spokesman for the secretary general, António Guterres, said on Tuesday.
The notification completes a threat that President Trump began making months ago, as the death toll from the coronavirus in the United States mounted and Mr. Trump sought to blame the Chinese government for not doing enough to stop the spread of the disease. Mr. Trump has accused Beijing of hiding the true scope of infections from the W.H.O., targeting the agency in the process.
Congress must stop Trump from withdrawing from the WHO
On Monday night, President Trump sent an official notification to United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres of U.S. withdrawal from the World Health Organization (WHO). His letter coincided with the highest ever global spike in COVID-19 cases over the 4th of July weekend, when thirteen U.S. states also reported record-setting new cases.
If the U.S. withdraws from WHO, it would be among the more ruinous presidential decisions in recent history.
The president is not free to act unilaterally. His order requires congressional approval and cannot take place for a year. Congress, the courts, and the public all have the power to stop a reckless decision detrimental to our national interests.
We have joined more than 750 leaders in academia, science and law urging Congress to act. COVID-19 demonstrates how deeply our security is connected to outbreaks in other countries. It is folly to imagine that the U.S. can disengage from the international fight against COVID-19 while also reopening a globally integrated economy. This is even before we consider the ethics of cutting funding for lifesaving work on everything from AIDS, Ebola and polio to mental health and heart disease.
Let's start with what WHO is doing to respond to COVID-19. U.S. national security depends on WHO's coordinated disease surveillance, research, and emergency response. WHO is distributing life-saving personal protective equipment and millions of test kits to 135 countries, conducting "solidarity trials" for a COVID-19 vaccine joined by more than 100 countries, launching the "Partners Platform" for real-time tracking of the virus, and leading the "ACT Accelerator" for new COVID-19 diagnostics, therapeutics and vaccines. The WHO also deploys the Global Outbreak Alert and Response Network (GOARN) with more than 100 emergency medical teams responding to disease outbreaks worldwide. Beyond COVID-19, WHO runs the Global Influenza Surveillance and Response System (GISRS), which is the linchpin for seasonal flu vaccines. By withdrawing, the U.S. would be on the outside looking in as the world responds to an unprecedented pandemic.