The United States will leave the World Health Organisation on July 6, 2021, the United Nations said on Tuesday after receiving formal notification of the decision by President Donald Trump more than a month ago.
Trump had to give one-year notice of the US withdrawal from the Geneva-based UN agency under a 1948 joint resolution of the US Congress, which also obliges Washington to pay financial support.
The United States currently owes the WHO more than $200 million in assessed contributions, according to the WHO website. After more than 70 years of membership, the United States moved to quit the WHO after Trump accused it of becoming a puppet of China amid the coronavirus pandemic. The virus first emerged in China’s Wuhan city late last year.
“The Secretary-General … is in the process of verifying with the World Health Organisation whether all the conditions for such withdrawal are met,” UN spokesperson Stephane Dujarric said.
Trump has long scorned multilateralism as he focuses on an “America First” agenda. Since taking office, he has quit the UN Human Rights Council, the UN cultural agency, a global accord to tackle climate change and the Iran nuclear deal. He has also cut funding for the UN population fund and the UN agency that aids Palestinian refugees.
