Argentina to withdraw from WHO after Trump exit, citing 'deep differences'

A view shows The World Health Organization (WHO) headquarters in Geneva
FILE PHOTO: A view shows The World Health Organization (WHO) headquarters in Geneva, Switzerland, January 28, 2025. REUTERS/Denis Balibouse/File Photo
Source: REUTERS

Argentina will pull out of the World Health Organization (WHO), a presidential spokesperson said on Wednesday, following President Donald Trump's executive order last month to pull the United States out of the global health group.

Trump, who Argentina's libertarian President Javier Milei considers a close ally, moved to exit the organization on his first day in office on January 20.

Milei ordered Argentina's withdrawal because of "deep differences" regarding the WHO's management of health issues, notably the COVID-19 pandemic, presidential spokesperson Manuel Adorni said, citing Argentina's months-long lockdown under the previous leftist government.

Adorni also cited a "a lack of independence from the political influence of other states."

RECOMMENDED FOR YOU

Press freedom

RSF index reveals that press freedom gaps widened globally in 2025

Trump similarly claimed the global health agency had mishandled the COVID-19 pandemic and other international health crises, and that it required "unfairly onerous" payments from the United States, its biggest funder.

This article was produced by Reuters news agency. It has not been edited by Global South World.