Khaberni - The United States officially announced its withdrawal from the World Health Organization on Thursday, despite warnings over the course of a year that the move would harm the health sector in the United States and globally.
The Trump administration said its decision was due to the failures of the United Nations-affiliated organization in managing the situation during the COVID-19 pandemic, according to "Reuters".
President Donald Trump declared, through an executive order, that the United States would withdraw from the World Health Organization on the first day of his presidency in 2025.
According to a press release issued by the U.S. Departments of Health and Human Services and State, the United States will deal with the World Health Organization in a limited scope to facilitate the actual withdrawal.
A senior government health official said: "We have no plans to participate as observers, nor do we intend to rejoin".
The United States mentioned that it intends to work directly with other countries, instead of cooperating through an international organization, in order to monitor diseases and other public health priorities.
Under U.S. law, Washington is supposed to issue a notice one year prior to withdrawal and pay all due fees, which amount to about $260 million before departure.
However, an official in the U.S. Department of State denied that the law includes a provision requiring payment of any amount before withdrawal.
Eyewitnesses said that the American flag was removed from in front of the World Health Organization headquarters in Geneva on Thursday.
In recent weeks, the United States has taken steps to withdraw from a number of other United Nations organizations, and some fear that the recent peace council established by Trump could undermine the United Nations as a whole.
