The US withdrawal from the WHO: a global health crisis in the making

Abstract

In a major blow to global health, the US administration has announced plans to withdraw from the World Health Organization. Kent Buse and colleagues propose urgent actions for the international community to mitigate the damage. When the previous Trump administration announced its withdrawal from the World Health Organization (WHO), the decision sent shockwaves throughout the world.1 While that decision was reversed by the incoming Biden administration, Trump has done it again. And this time around, he has sufficient time to complete the 12 month withdrawal process. This severing of ties between the world’s largest economy and its foremost public health body represents a major setback for health diplomacy, scientific collaboration, and funding. The repercussions will ripple across borders, leaving WHO weaker and the US isolated when global health challenges demand unity. For decades, WHO has stood as a beacon of international cooperation, coordinating outbreak responses, fostering scientific exchange, setting norms, and providing invaluable technical assistance. The benefits of membership are immense, including disease surveillance, health system strengthening, and health diplomacy. The US helped create WHO and has been a core funder and leader for over 75 years.2 Historically, the …