Follow Up: U.S. Officially Completes Withdrawal From WHO Over COVID-19 Handling, Reform Failures
By: Israel Adeleke
OPEN TELEVISION NAIJA (OTN) News reports as gathered that the United States has officially completed its withdrawal from the World Health Organisation (WHO), citing dissatisfaction with the global health body’s handling of the COVID-19 pandemic, failure to carry out critical reforms, and alleged political influence by member states.
OTN News further reports as gathered that the White House confirmed the exit in a statement released on Friday, jointly issued by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and the Department of State.
The statement said the decision was driven by what it described as WHO’s “mishandling of the COVID-19 pandemic that arose out of Wuhan, China,” its failure to implement urgently needed reforms, and its inability to demonstrate independence from “inappropriate political influence” by some member countries.
Health and Human Services Secretary, Robert F. Kennedy Jr., and Secretary of State, Marco Rubio, said the United States would only maintain limited coordination with WHO strictly to finalise the withdrawal process.
OTN News had earlier reported that the withdrawal process formally began on January 20, 2025, when President Donald Trump announced plans for the United States to leave the UN health agency.
Over the past year, the U.S. government progressively halted funding to WHO, withdrew American personnel from the organisation, and redirected programmes and collaborations previously conducted through WHO to direct partnerships with other countries and international bodies.
The White House strongly criticised WHO’s early response to COVID-19, accusing the organisation of delaying the declaration of a global public health emergency and pandemic during the initial outbreak.
According to the statement, this delay “cost the world critical weeks” as the virus spread rapidly across borders.
U.S. officials also faulted WHO leadership for what they described as excessive praise of China’s response to the outbreak, despite what the White House said was evidence of early underreporting, suppression of information, and delays in confirming human-to-human transmission of the virus.
The statement further accused WHO of downplaying the risks of asymptomatic transmission and failing to promptly acknowledge the airborne nature of COVID-19 spread.
Beyond its pandemic response, WHO was criticised for failing to implement meaningful reforms in the aftermath of COVID-19.
The White House took issue with the organisation’s report on the possible origins of the virus, noting that it rejected the theory of laboratory creation despite China’s refusal to provide genetic sequences from early cases and information on biosafety conditions at laboratories in Wuhan.
WHO, for its part, disclosed that the United States has not paid its membership contributions for 2024 and 2025, amounting to approximately $260 million.
The organisation said the issue of the U.S. withdrawal would be discussed at its executive board meeting in February, but acknowledged it had no mechanism to block the country’s departure.
WHO Director-General, Dr. Tedros Ghebreyesus, expressed regret over the decision, describing it as a loss for both the United States and the global community.
“I hope that the U.S. will reconsider its decision and rejoin WHO. Withdrawal is a loss for the U.S. and also a loss for the rest of the world,” he said, adding that the organisation’s work was rooted in cooperation and global solidarity rather than financial considerations.
Despite the exit, the White House said the United States would continue to play a leading role in global health through direct engagement with other countries, private sector partners, non-governmental organisations, and faith-based groups.
According to the statement, U.S. priorities will include emergency health response, biosecurity coordination, and health innovation, both domestically and internationally.
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