OAN Staff Abril Elfi
11:54 AM – Wednesday, February 5, 2025
Argentina has announced that they will be pulling out of the World Health Organization (WHO), following U.S. President Donald Trump’s decision to do so as well.
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Mirroring a similar move by Trump, presidential spokesperson Manuel Adorni said at a news conference on Wednesday that Argentinian President Javier Milei has now instructed them to pull out of the organization.
“President (Javier) Milei instructed (foreign minister) Gerardo Werthein to withdraw Argentina’s participation in the World Health Organization,”Adorni said.
“We Argentinians will not allow an international organization to intervene in our sovereignty, much less in our health,” he added.
Adorni noted that Argentina’s decision was based on “profound differences regarding… health management, especially during the pandemic that… led us to the longest lockdown in human history and a lack of independence in the face of the political influence of some states.”
A statement later released from Argentina’s presidential office accused the WHO of causing economic damage during the Covid-19 pandemic by “[promoting] endless quarantines.”
“It is urgent to rethink from the international community why supranational organizations exist, funded by all, that do not meet the objectives for which they were created, engage in international politics, and seek to impose themselves above member countries,” the statement read.
Trump announced on his first day back in office that he was withdrawing the United States from the WHO.
He also criticized the United Nations’ health agency in his executive order on January 20th, citing 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” as reasons for the withdrawal.
WHO Director General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus stated at the time that he “regrets” Trump’s decision to leave the organization, claiming that the U.S. benefits from the organization to which it contributes.
However, online users have highlighted that the WHO will suffer most, not the U.S., as the U.S. finances the organization more than most Americans and taxpayers realize.
“The United States is indeed the largest contributor to the WHO. According to the latest figures published by the organization, the U.S. donated $1.28 billion to the WHO’s budget for the 2022-2023 biennium, including $218 million in assessed contributions, $1.02 billion in voluntary contributions and $47 million in contributions to a contingency fund for emergencies. China, in comparison, contributed a total of $157 million during the same period, including $115 million in assessed contributions. For the 2022-2023 period, the WHO’s total approved budget amounted to $10.4 billion, meaning that the U.S. contributed 12 percent to the approved budget. Since the budget includes a $2-billion shortfall in funds, the actual U.S. share of total WHO funding was higher at roughly 15 percent,” according to statista.
Adorni declared that his country does not receive WHO funding for health management — such as other countries do.
“Therefore, this measure… does not represent a loss of funds for the country, nor does it affect the quality of services,” Ardoni explained.
He went on to say that the withdrawal would provide “greater flexibility to implement policies” in Argentina’s interests and “greater availability of resources.”
“It reaffirms our path towards a country with sovereignty also in health matters,” Adorni added.
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