President Donald Trump’s decision to withdraw from the World Health Organization will have a significant financial impact on the organization.
Trump’s decision would deprive the UN health agency of a key partner in combating global public health problems.
Trump attempted to leave the WHO during his first term, but the decision was reversed by former President Joe Biden before it could take effect.
Withdrawal from the WHO is effective one year after notification is properly lodged with the UN.
Meanwhile, Trump has selected Robert F. Kennedy, a vaccine skeptic and harsh opponent of WHO, as his health secretary.
The WHO said on Tuesday that it regretted the pullout decision and hoped Washington would reconsider.
The United States plays a prominent role in the WHO
The United States “plays a critical role in supporting WHO to protect and improve the health of Americans and people around the world,” according to the WHO website.
The WHO cited Washington’s efforts to combat polio and Ebola, as well as last year’s mpox outbreaks in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Marburg in Rwanda.
“The USA-WHO collaboration also plays a pivotal role in combating global HIV,” it said.
According to Trump’s executive order, Washington will immediately suspend any future financial transfers to the WHO and recall any US government employees or contractors who cooperate with the organization.
The United States would become the only UN member state not affiliated with the World Health Organization, alongside Liechtenstein.
World Health Organization budget
The World Health Organization is funded by its 194 member governments, as well as non-governmental organizations and other donors.
Founded in 1948, the agency was initially funded entirely by “assessed contributions”: nations’ membership fees calculated based on wealth and population.
However, the WHO has become more reliant on “voluntary contributions,” which only contribute to results selected by the donor.
Membership dues provided for barely 12% of the WHO’s funding during the most recent complete budget cycle, 2022-23.
The Covid-19 outbreak highlighted the need for more predictable and adaptable funding to better address emerging health shocks.
Member nations decided to shift away from pre-earmarked contributions and raise membership fees to fund half of the organization’s budget by 2030.
Last November, the World Health Organization reported that it had raised roughly $4 billion through a new financing mechanism, attracting dozens of new donors.
US the top donor
The WHO budget for the completed 2022 and 2023 cycle was $7.89 billion.
In that period, the United States was by far the largest donor to the WHO, donating $1.3 billion, or 16.3 percent of the total.
The next largest funders were Germany ($856 million), the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation ($830 million), the Gavi Vaccine Alliance ($481 million), and the European Commission ($468 million). China, ranked 11th, contributed $157 million.
On Monday, Trump said the WHO had “ripped us off”, noting how Washington was paying far more than Beijing.
Smart tactic?
Prior to the US statement, Suerie Moon, co-director of the Global Health Centre at the Geneva Graduate Institute, told AFP that Washington would be better off waiting.
Should they seek “leverage over WHO… it would make sense to at least see what they can get, and then use the withdrawal as a negotiating tool” , she reported.
Moon expressed confidence that the WHO would withstand a US pullout. “Most organisations would survive a 15 percent budget cut, but it would be painful,” she argued.
Pandemic agreement
Rattled by Covid, WHO member states decided in December 2021 to begin draughting a pandemic prevention, readiness, and response agreement.
However, deadlines have been routinely missed, so discussions were not completed before Trump’s return.
According to the executive order issued on Monday, Washington will stop negotiating during its withdrawal, and the accord will have “no binding force” on the United States.
Moon warned that the US withdrawal from the talks could provide other sceptical countries with “an easy out”.
