US President Donald Trump has signed an executive order to begin the process of withdrawing the US from the World Health Organization (WHO).
"Oooh,
that's a big one," the newly inaugurated US president said as he approved
the document after arriving back at the White House. It was one of dozens of
executive actions he put his signature to on day one in office.
This marks the
second time Trump has ordered the US be pulled out of the WHO.
Trump was
critical of how the international body handled Covid-19 and began the process
of pulling out from the Geneva-based institution during the pandemic. President
Joe Biden later reversed that decision.
Carrying out
this executive action on day one makes it more likely the US will formally
leave the global agency.
"They
wanted us back so badly so we'll see what happens," Trump said in the Oval
Office, referring to the WHO, perhaps hinting the US might return eventually.
The order said
the US was withdrawing "due to the organization's mishandling of the
Covid-19 pandemic that arose out of Wuhan, China, and other global health
crises, its failure to adopt urgently needed reforms, and its inability to
demonstrate independence from the inappropriate political influence of WHO
member states".
The executive
order also said the withdrawal was the result of "unfairly onerous
payments" the US made to the WHO, which is part of the United Nations.
When Trump was
still in office the first time around he was critical of the organization for
being too "China-centric" in its tackling of the Covid-19 pandemic.
Trump accused
the WHO of being biased towards China in how it issued guidance during the
outbreak.
Under the Biden
administration the US continued to be the largest funder of the WHO and in 2023
it contributed almost one-fifth of the agency's budget.
The
organization's annual budget is $6.8 billion (£5.5 billion).
Public health
experts have been critical of Trump's decision to leave the WHO, warning there
could be consequences for Americans' health. BBC
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