Argentina Formally Withdraws Membership from World Health Organization

Kathmandu. Argentina formally withdrew its membership from the World Health Organization (WHO) on Tuesday. Argentina's Foreign Minister announced that Argentina has abandoned its WHO membership, following the United States, which took the same step earlier this year.

The government of President Javier Milei, a close ally of former US President Donald Trump, had announced a year ago its intention to leave the UN health agency, criticizing the WHO's handling of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Argentina's Ministry of Foreign Affairs stated that the withdrawal process was completed within the timeframe stipulated by international treaties.

"Argentina will continue to promote international cooperation in health through bilateral agreements and regional forums, fully preserving its sovereignty and its capacity to decide on its health policies," Foreign Minister Pablo Quieroga wrote on the social media platform X.

Last year, Argentina declared that the WHO's recommendations were ineffective because they were based on political interests rather than science.

The US formally announced its withdrawal from the WHO in January, one year after Trump signed an executive order to leave multinational groups upon returning to the White House.

The World Health Organization has played a special role in eradicating smallpox and confronting diseases and public health threats such as polio, HIV, Ebola, and tuberculosis.

Last January, WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus expressed deep regret over this move, stating that it would make the United States and the rest of the world less safe.