Overview
- After a year-long process, Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. declared the U.S. out of the WHO, though some reports note the WHO has not confirmed the withdrawal’s effectiveness.
- WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus called the U.S. rationale for leaving “untrue” and said the step makes both the United States and the world less safe.
- The WHO defended its pandemic response, citing early January 2020 alerts to governments and its January 30 declaration of a Public Health Emergency of International Concern.
- U.S. officials accused the WHO of refusing to return a U.S. flag at its headquarters; a State Department unit later said Marines secured the flag and it is headed back to the United States.
- California announced continued cooperation via the WHO-coordinated GOARN network, while the issue of unpaid U.S. assessed contributions remains unresolved and beyond WHO enforcement.