Washington: The United States has formally completed its withdrawal from the World Health Organization, ending nearly 78 years of membership in the UN health agency, US officials said. The departure took effect on January 22, 2026, following the required one-year notice period under international rules.
According to Anadolu Agency, Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. announced the move in a joint statement. They stated that the US had withdrawn from the WHO and freed itself from the organization's constraints. The officials cited the WHO's handling of the COVID-19 pandemic, accusing the agency of pursuing a politicized and bureaucratic agenda, obstructing timely information sharing, and acting against US interests under the influence of nations hostile to the US.
The statement clarified that US engagement with the WHO will now be limited to carrying out the withdrawal process and safeguarding the health and safety of the American people. It also noted that all US funding for and staffing of WHO initiatives has ceased. US personnel have been recalled, and the country is shifting its focus to direct bilateral partnerships and independent approaches to global health efforts.
WHO Director-General Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus has repeatedly expressed regret over the decision, describing the withdrawal as a lose-lose situation and stating it is not the right decision. The World Health Organization was founded on April 7, 1948, with the United States as one of the original signatories of its constitution in 1946, and formally ratifying it in June 1948, becoming a founding member.
President Trump has been a critic of the WHO, especially during and after the COVID-19 pandemic. He accused the organization of mishandling the early stages of the outbreak, being too close to China, repeating inaccurate information from Beijing, and politicizing the crisis by calling US travel bans from China racist. Trump also criticized what he viewed as an unfair financial burden on the United States, arguing it paid far more than other countries, including China, without receiving fair treatment in return.
During his second term, Trump acted on these criticisms by withdrawing the United States from the WHO in 2025, bringing an end to US membership and funding after nearly eight decades.