US exits WHO on the eve of Executive Board meeting
Jan 28, 2026
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The United States formally withdrew from the WHO on January 22, 2026, citing alleged COVID-19 mishandling and China bias - stripping the agency of about 20% of its funding. Next week (from 2 to 7 February), PSI will join the WHO EB meeting to represent health and care workers and advocate for stronger international collaboration.
The United States' exit from the World Health Organization (WHO), under the presidency of Mr Donald Trump, became official on January 22, 2026. One of President Trump’s first acts upon his return to power a year ago was to sign an executive order which started the withdrawal process.
This represents an enormous blow to the WHO. The United States' contributions amounted to about one-fifth of the United Nations' specialised body responsible for providing international health leadership. According to officials of the US Department of Health and Human Services, echoing Mr Trump, this step was taken because of the WHO’s supposed “mishandling” of the COVID-19 pandemic and being “China-centric”.
The United States' contributions amounted to about one-fifth of the United Nations' specialised body responsible for providing international health leadership
These were the same reasons presented by Donald Trump during his first presidency when he initiated the process to withdraw the US from the WHO. However, most people saw the move at the time as nothing but a wanton face-saving gesture. The evidence, including from US academics and public health experts, showed Donald Trump’s gross mismanagement of the COVID-19 response in the United States. When Joe Biden became president, he reversed that earlier withdrawal before its consummation. This time around, the world faces this tragic farce.
The impact is already being felt. Even before the exit became sealed a few days ago, despite the WHO’s hope that it would reconsider its stance, the United States had refused to pay its contributions for 2024 and 2025, despite this being binding. This whole drama of the absurd is part of a broader pattern of attacks on the multilateral system. Within the first week of the year, the United States equally pulled out of 31 United Nations entities and 35 non-United Nations multilateral organisations.
However, as important as all these are, the withdrawal from the WHO is of utmost importance. The COVID-19 pandemic showed the existential centrality of international health to humankind. Pathogens and the diseases they cause do not know borders. International collaboration is necessary for safeguarding public health.
The 158th session of the WHO Executive Board will take place next week, from 2 to 7 February. WHO Member States will discuss the implications of the United States' exit and how to cope with this. Public Services International will be at the meeting, as the global voice of health and care workers.