US Finally Withdraws from WHO...$380 Million in Unpaid Dues

One Year After Trump’s First-Day Order
U.S. Government: "No Obligation to Settle Debts"
Disruptions in Disease Response and Inevitable Restructuring

Robert F. Kennedy Jr., U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services, is holding a press conference at the White House on the 7th (local time). Photo by AP Yonhap News

The United States is completely withdrawing from the World Health Organization (WHO). This comes about a year after President Donald Trump, on his first day in office in January last year, ordered the withdrawal from the WHO, citing that it was against U.S. national interests. With this, the United States is leaving the WHO for the second time, following the first Trump administration.

On the 22nd (local time), Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Secretary of Health and Human Services Robert F. Kennedy Jr. officially announced the withdrawal in a statement, asserting, "Like many other international organizations, the WHO has abandoned its core mission and repeatedly acted against the interests of the United States."

The two secretaries argued, "Despite the United States being a founding member and the largest financial contributor, the WHO has promoted a political and bureaucratic agenda led by countries hostile to U.S. interests."

The Trump administration criticized the WHO for delaying the declaration of a public health emergency at the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, causing the world to lose valuable response time, and for praising China's response despite China's failure to properly report and share information related to COVID-19.

On January 20, 2025, the first day of his second term, President Trump signed an executive order directing the withdrawal from the WHO for these reasons. Over the past year, the United States has suspended funding to the WHO and withdrawn all personnel, proceeding with the withdrawal process.

Previously, during his first administration, President Trump had also ordered the withdrawal from the WHO, but his successor, former President Joe Biden, reversed this decision on his inauguration day, January 20, 2021.

Bloomberg News reported that the United States would need to give one year's notice and settle outstanding dues to withdraw from the WHO this year. However, the U.S. government stated that there is no obligation to settle debts. The WHO estimates that the U.S. owes approximately $260 million (about 380 billion won) in unpaid dues, but maintains that it has no means to enforce payment.

The United States was the largest donor to the WHO, providing nearly $1.3 billion in 2022-2023. With the loss of U.S. support, the WHO is expected to face greater difficulty in responding to various diseases such as HIV, polio, and Ebola.

The WHO is also pursuing restructuring this year, aiming to reduce about one-quarter of its total staff. As of early last year, the WHO had 9,401 employees, of which 2,371 are set to leave due to restructuring, retirement, or resignation.