The World Health Organization has expressed profound regret following the official notification by the United States of America of its intention to withdraw from the global health body. As a founding member of the organization, the United States has historically contributed significantly to many of the WHO’s most monumental public health achievements over the decades. These cooperative milestones include the historic eradication of smallpox, which remains one of the greatest triumphs in medical history, alongside substantial, ongoing progress against a wide array of formidable public health threats. Among these shared endeavors are global efforts to combat polio, HIV, Ebola, influenza, tuberculosis, malaria, neglected tropical diseases, antimicrobial resistance, and food safety challenges, all of which have relied heavily on robust international cooperation and American partnership.
Organization officials noted that the formal notification of withdrawal raises complex legal and operational issues that will now be formally considered by the WHO Executive Board at its regular meeting scheduled to begin on February 2. Following that executive review, the matter will be brought before the broader membership at the annual meeting of the World Health Assembly in May 2026.
The WHO took formal note of recent statements issued by the government of the United States, which asserted that the organization has "trashed and tarnished" and insulted the nation, while allegedly compromising its operational and institutional independence. In response, the leadership of the organization maintained that the exact reverse is true. Emphasizing its standard operating principles, the WHO stated that, just as it strives to do with every single one of its Member States, it has always sought to engage constructively and in good faith with the United States, maintaining a steadfast respect for national sovereignty at all times.
In its public communications outlining the rationale for the withdrawal, the United States pointed directly to what it characterized as "WHO failures during the COVID-19 pandemic." Specifically, Washington cited allegations that the organization was involved in "obstructing the timely and accurate sharing of critical information" and that the agency subsequently "concealed those failures."
Addressing these serious accusations directly, the WHO acknowledged that while no single organization, agency, or national government managed to get every aspect of the unprecedented crisis entirely right, the institution stands firmly by its comprehensive response to the global health emergency. Throughout the trajectory of the pandemic, the organization maintained that it acted with urgency, sharing all available information rapidly and transparently with the international community. Furthermore, the agency provided technical guidance to Member States grounded strictly in the best available scientific evidence.
The WHO clarified that while it recommended proven public health interventions such as the use of masks, vaccination, and physical distancing, it at no point recommended mandatory mask-wearing, mandatory vaccination programs, or sweeping societal lockdowns. Instead, the organization’s role was to support sovereign governments so they could make the policy decisions they believed were in the best interests of their respective populations, leaving the ultimate execution of those decisions entirely in national hands.
Detailing the timeline of the early days of the global crisis, the organization recalled that immediately after receiving the first reports detailing a cluster of cases involving "pneumonia of unknown cause" in Wuhan, China, on December 31, 2019, the WHO formally asked Chinese authorities for more detailed information and simultaneously activated its internal emergency incident management system. By the time the very first death resulting from the novel virus was officially reported from China on January 11, 2020, the agency had already alerted the wider world through formal diplomatic channels, public statements, and social media platforms. During that same period, the WHO convened global experts and published comprehensive guidance intended to help countries prepare their populations and safeguard their domestic health systems.
When the Director-General of the WHO formally declared COVID-19 to be a public health emergency of international concern on January 30, 2020—invoking the highest level of institutional alarm permissible under international health law—there were fewer than 100 reported cases outside of China, and zero reported deaths outside the country. In the critical first weeks and months of the unfolding global emergency, the Director-General repeatedly urged all national governments to take immediate, decisive action to protect their citizens. During those briefings, he issued stark warnings, declaring that "the window of opportunity is closing," reminding leaders that "this is not a drill," and explicitly describing the pathogen as "public enemy number one."
In the wake of multiple independent and institutional reviews evaluating the global handling of the COVID-19 pandemic—including evaluations focused specifically on the performance of the WHO—the agency has actively taken steps to internalize lessons learned. These measures are designed to strengthen its own internal operational work while simultaneously supporting individual countries to bolster their domestic pandemic preparedness and response capacities. The sophisticated surveillance and response systems that the organization developed and managed before, during, and after the acute emergency phase of the pandemic operate on a continuous, round-the-clock basis. According to the agency, these systems have continuously contributed to keeping all nations safe, including the United States.
The United States also asserted in its statements that the WHO has increasingly "pursued a politicized, bureaucratic agenda driven by nations hostile to American interests." The organization firmly rejected this characterization as untrue. Operating as a specialized agency of the United Nations governed collectively by 194 Member States, the WHO emphasized that it has always remained strictly impartial. Its foundational purpose is to serve every country equitably, with full respect for national sovereignty, and to operate without fear or favor toward any political bloc.
Despite the withdrawal notification, the WHO expressed appreciation for the continued support and active engagement of all its remaining Member States. These nations continue to work collaboratively within the established multilateral framework of the organization to pursue concrete solutions to the world’s most pressing health challenges, spanning both communicable and noncommunicable diseases.
As a prominent example of this ongoing collective work, Member States overwhelmingly adopted the landmark WHO Pandemic Agreement last year. Once fully ratified by national governments, this agreement will establish a historic instrument of international law designed to keep the world significantly safer from the threat of future pandemics. Furthermore, Member States are presently engaged in active negotiations regarding an annex to the Pandemic Agreement, known as the Pathogen Access and Benefit Sharing system. If successfully adopted, this system will promote the rapid detection and sharing of pathogens possessing pandemic potential, while simultaneously ensuring equitable and timely global access to life-saving vaccines, therapeutics, and diagnostics.
Concluding its official response, the organization stated its sincere hope that the United States will, in the future, return to active participation within the WHO. In the interim, the World Health Organization affirmed that it remains steadfastly committed to working alongside all countries across the globe in relentless pursuit of its core mission and constitutional mandate: ensuring the highest attainable standard of health as a fundamental, universal right for all people.
