Trump orders US exit from the World Health Organization and Paris climate agreement
“World Health ripped us off, everybody rips off the United States. It’s not going to happen anymore,” says Trump
THE United States will leave the World Health Organization (WHO), President Donald Trump said on Monday (Jan 20), saying the global health agency had mishandled the Covid-19 pandemic and other international health crises.
He also announced the United States’ withdrawal from the Paris climate accord for a second time, a defiant rejection of global efforts to combat planetary warming as catastrophic weather events intensify worldwide.
Trump said the WHO had failed to act independently from the “inappropriate political influence of WHO member states” and required “unfairly onerous payments” from the US that were disproportionate to the sums provided by other, larger countries, such as China.
“World Health ripped us off, everybody rips off the United States. It’s not going to happen anymore,” Trump said at the signing of an executive order on the withdrawal, shortly after his inauguration to a second term.
WHO ‘regrets’ Trump’s decision to pull out from the organisation.
“WHO plays a crucial role in protecting the health and security of the world’s people, including Americans,” spokesman Tarik Jasarevic told reporters in Geneva.
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“We hope the United States will reconsider, and we look forward to engaging in constructive dialogue to maintain the partnership between the USA and WHO, for the benefit of the health and well-being of millions of people around the globe.”
When asked about Trump’s decision and remarks, China’s foreign ministry told a regular press briefing on Tuesday (Jan 21) that the role of the WHO in global health governance should only be strengthened, not weakened.
“China will continue to support the WHO in fulfilling its responsibilities, and deepen international public health cooperation,” said Guo Jiakun, a ministry spokesperson.
The move means the US will leave the United Nations health agency in 12 months’ time and stop all financial contributions to its work. The United States is by far the WHO’s biggest financial backer, contributing around 18 per cent of its overall funding. WHO’s most recent two-year budget, for 2024-2025, was US$6.8 billion.
The US departure will likely put at risk programmes across the organisation, according to several experts both inside and outside the WHO, notably those tackling tuberculosis, the world’s biggest infectious disease killer, as well as HIV/AIDS and other health emergencies.
The Republican leader also declared a “national energy emergency” to expand drilling in the world’s top oil and gas producer, said he would scrap vehicle emissions standards that amount to an “electric vehicle mandate,” and vowed to halt offshore wind farms, a frequent target of his scorn.
“I’m immediately withdrawing from the unfair, one-sided Paris Climate Accord rip-off,” he said to cheering supporters at a Washington sports arena after being sworn in.
“The United States will not sabotage our own industries while China pollutes with impunity.”
He also signed an order instructing federal agencies to reject international climate finance commitments made under the previous administration, and issued a formal letter to the United Nations notifying it of Washington’s intent to leave the agreement.
Under the accord’s rules, the United States will formally exit in one year.
European Commission President Urusula von der Leyen said the Paris Climate agreement continues to be the best hope for all humanity.
“Europe will stay the course, and keep working with all nations that want to protect nature and stop global warming”, she said.
Critics warn the move undermines global cooperation on reducing fossil fuel use and could embolden major polluters like China and India to weaken their commitments, while Argentina, under libertarian President Javier Milei has also said it is “re-evaluating” its participation.
“Withdrawing the United States from the Paris Agreement is a travesty,” said Rachel Cleetus, of the Union of Concerned Scientists, adding the move “shows an administration cruelly indifferent to the harsh climate change impacts that people in the United States and around the world are experiencing.”
The move comes as global average temperatures over the past two years surpassed a critical 1.5 degrees Celsius warming threshold for the first time, underscoring the urgency of climate action. REUTERS, AFP
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