The Director-General of the World Health Organization (WHO), Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, warned that the imminent departure of the United States from the agency, scheduled for January 22, will make the world and the North American country itself "insecure." At a press conference in Geneva, Tedros expressed his hope that the Donald Trump administration will reconsider the measure, arguing that a large part of the agency's work directly benefits the health security of U.S. citizens. The official withdrawal is the culmination of an executive order signed by Trump on January 20, 2025, shortly after he began his second term. Following the statutes of the UN, the formal notification delivered two days later activated a one-year notice period that expires next week. The Risks of the Disengagement According to Tedros, the WHO is the only entity capable of coordinating rapid responses to threats like Ebola, the Marburg virus, or new flu strains from their origin. Loss of Surveillance: The withdrawal implies that U.S. scientists will lose direct access to epidemiological data and virus samples shared by other 193 member states. Critical Funding: The United States contributes approximately 18% of the WHO's total budget (about 1.3 billion dollars in the last biennium). The agency has already begun implementing cuts to travel, renovations, and new hires to mitigate the impact. Programs in Danger: Global initiatives to eradicate polio, tuberculosis, and HIV/AIDS are in a vulnerable situation due to the lack of these funds. Reforms and Pending Debts Tedros defended that the organization has implemented the largest set of reforms in its history to improve transparency and cost-effectiveness, points that the White House has repeatedly questioned. However, a legal point of friction for the final exit is that Washington has accumulated arrears in payments for 2024 and 2025, a condition that the statutes require to be met for the withdrawal to be valid before the UN. From Geneva, the message was clear: "It is not really the right decision." The WHO reiterated its willingness to engage in a "constructive dialogue" that preserves a seven-decade alliance that achieved, among other milestones, the eradication of smallpox.
