Argentina says it will withdraw from the World Health Organization, echoing Trump

By ALMUDENA CALATRAVA, Associated Press

BUENOS AIRES (AP) — Argentina’s president has ordered the country’s withdrawal from the World Health Organization owed to “profound differences” with the U.N. agency, a statesmanlike spokesperson said Wednesday.

President Javier Milei’s determination echoes that of his ally, U.S. President Donald Trump, who began the process of pulling the United States retired of WHO with an enforcement bid connected his archetypal time backmost successful bureau connected Jan. 21.

The nonaccomplishment of different subordinate state volition further fracture practice successful planetary health, though Argentina was expected to supply lone astir $8 cardinal to WHO for the agency’s estimated $6.9 cardinal 2024-2025 budget.

Argentina’s determination is based connected “profound differences successful wellness management, particularly during the (COVID-19) pandemic,” spokesperson Manuel Adorni told a quality league successful Buenos Aires. He said WHO guidelines astatine the clip led to the largest shutdown “in the past of mankind.”

Argentina volition not let an planetary enactment to intervene successful its sovereignty “and overmuch little successful our health,” helium added.

WHO has nary authorization to compel countries to instrumentality circumstantial wellness actions, and the organization’s guidelines and recommendations, including successful wellness crises similar COVID-19, are often disregarded.

WHO said it was looking into Argentina’s announcement.

Adorni did not accidental erstwhile Milei’s determination would beryllium implemented. He besides asserted that WHO lacks independency due to the fact that of the governmental power of immoderate countries, without naming any.

WHO is the lone enactment mandated to coordinate planetary responses to acute wellness crises, peculiarly outbreaks of caller diseases and persistent threats including Ebola, AIDS and mpox.

Milei was a crisp professional of the lockdown imposed by erstwhile President Alberto Fernandez during the pandemic, asserting that it wounded the system and that the authorities utilized it arsenic a mechanics of “repression.”

“LONG LIVE FREEDOM,” Milei said Wednesday successful a station connected X criticizing the U.N. agency.

Argentina does not person WHO backing for wellness management, and the president’s determination doesn’t impact the prime of wellness services, Adorni said.

“On the contrary, it gives greater flexibility to instrumentality policies adopted to the discourse of interests that Argentina requires,” helium added.

Last year, Milei’s authorities refused to motion an statement to negociate pandemics wrong the WHO framework, connected the grounds that doing truthful could impact nationalist sovereignty.

The announcement connected the WHO comes up of Milei’s travel to the U.S. aboriginal this period that volition coincide with the Conservative Political Action Conference acme of right-wing leaders successful Washington. The spokesperson has not confirmed that Milei volition be oregon that helium mightiness conscionable Trump.

Associated Press writer Maria Cheng successful London contributed.

Originally Published: February 5, 2025 astatine 1:40 PM EST