The United States is due to formally withdraw from the World Health Organisation (WHO) on Thursday, a move that global health experts warn could undermine both US and international health efforts and place Washington in violation of domestic law.
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President Donald Trump announced his intention to leave the UN health agency on the first day of his presidency in 2025, issuing an executive order that triggered the legally required one-year notice period. Under US law, the country must also settle all outstanding financial obligations before exiting. According to the WHO, the United States still owes around $260 million in assessed fees for 2024 and 2025.
The #US exits the #WHO on Thursday, leaving about $278 million in unpaid dues and hundreds of millions more in undelivered pledges, according to a report by NPR. pic.twitter.com/v7tQYOnsmy
— China Xinhua News (@XHNews) January 22, 2026
A US State Department spokesperson said the decision reflected long-standing concerns about the WHO’s handling of global health crises. The spokesperson argued that failures to contain, manage and share critical information had cost the United States trillions of dollars, adding that the administration had paused any future transfer of US funds, support or resources to the organisation.
Global health leaders have repeatedly urged Washington to reconsider. Earlier this month, WHO Director General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said the withdrawal would be a loss for both the United States and the wider world, stressing the importance of collective action in responding to health threats.
Legal experts have questioned the legality of the move. Lawrence Gostin, a global health law specialist at Georgetown University, said the withdrawal without settling dues appeared to violate US law, though he noted that the administration was unlikely to face immediate consequences.
The departure has already had serious implications for the WHO, which has launched cost-cutting measures, reduced its management structure and scaled back programmes. The United States has historically been the organisation’s largest contributor, providing about 18% of its total funding.
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Public health experts warn that reduced cooperation could weaken global disease surveillance and emergency response systems, increasing risks for the US and the international community.