{"slug":"trump-withdrawal-who-pandemic-response","title":"WHO Withdrawal: Leaving World Health Organization During COVID Pandemic","date":"2020-05-29","lastUpdated":"2020-07-07","description":"On May 29, 2020, Trump announced that the United States would withdraw from the World Health Organization, citing its alleged mismanagement of the COVID-19 pandemic and excessive deference to China. The formal withdrawal notice was sent to the UN on July 7, 2020. The U.S. was the WHO's largest single funder, contributing approximately 15% of its budget. The withdrawal was announced in the middle of the active pandemic the WHO was coordinating the global response to. President Biden reversed the withdrawal on his first day in office.","summary":"Trump had previously threatened to withdraw or defund the WHO in April 2020; in May he made the withdrawal formal. Critics noted that withdrawing from the WHO during a pandemic eliminated U.S. influence over the global response to the same pandemic — including over vaccine development coordination, variant tracking, and equitable distribution programs. The U.S. would lose voting rights, committee seats, and the ability to shape WHO standards and guidelines. Allies and public health experts across the political spectrum criticized the decision. Biden rejoined the WHO within hours of taking office on January 20, 2021.","category":"foreign-policy","severity":"major","ongoing":false,"sources":[{"url":"https://www.nytimes.com/2020/07/07/health/trump-who-withdrawal.html","title":"U.S. Formally Withdrawing From World Health Organization","publisher":"The New York Times"},{"url":"https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2020/07/07/us-withdraws-world-health-organization-trump/","title":"U.S. formally withdraws from World Health Organization","publisher":"The Washington Post"},{"url":"https://apnews.com/article/trump-who-withdrawal-pandemic-covid","title":"US formally withdrawing from World Health Organization","publisher":"The Associated Press"}],"draft":false,"status":"published","tags":["WHO","COVID","foreign-policy","first-term","multilateralism","pandemic"],"relatedEntries":[],"timeline":[{"date":"2020-04-14","title":"Trump threatens to freeze WHO funding","summary":"Trump announces he will freeze U.S. funding to the WHO, citing alleged mismanagement of the pandemic. Public health experts and allies warn that defunding the WHO during a pandemic undermines the global response."},{"date":"2020-05-29","title":"Trump announces formal WHO withdrawal","summary":"Trump announces the U.S. will formally withdraw from the WHO, characterizing it as irrevocably captured by China. The announcement comes as the U.S. approaches 100,000 COVID deaths."},{"date":"2020-07-07","title":"Formal withdrawal notice submitted to UN","summary":"The U.S. formally notifies the UN of its intent to withdraw from the WHO. Under WHO rules, withdrawal requires one year's notice. The effective withdrawal date would have been July 6, 2021."},{"date":"2021-01-20","title":"Biden rejoins WHO on first day in office","summary":"Biden signs an executive order rejoining the WHO within hours of taking office. The U.S. formally rejoins; the one-year notice period means the withdrawal had not yet taken effect."}],"location":{"name":"Washington, D.C.","lat":38.9072,"lng":-77.0369},"custom":{"era":"first-term","posture":"reported","warCrimeClassification":"enabling","internationalLaw":[{"statute":"WHO Constitution","article":"Article 7","provision":"U.S. withdrawal eliminated U.S. voting rights and committee participation in the primary multilateral institution coordinating the global response to the COVID-19 pandemic"}],"iccRelevance":false,"victims":"Global pandemic response coordination undermined; developing nations dependent on WHO programs lost U.S. funding support; U.S. public health interests harmed through loss of influence over global health standards","structuredPerpetrators":[{"name":"Donald Trump","role":"President; directed withdrawal from WHO during active pandemic; reduced U.S. influence over global health coordination at moment of greatest need","institution":"White House"}],"updateLog":[{"date":"2020-07-07","summary":"Documented from formal withdrawal notice submission."}]}}