What does the US withdrawal from the WHO mean?

2026-01-24 18:53:00, Opinione Erion Dasho

On Thursday, the American flag was lowered from the headquarters of the World Health Organization in Geneva, ending the United States' membership in the organization.

While the reasons for the withdrawal were made known last year, when President Trump signed the relevant executive order, the main question remains: what does this withdrawal mean for the WHO itself and for global health?

First, the damage is tangible. The US was the WHO's largest donor. Its withdrawal means significant financial losses, which have already been manifested in layoffs and the reduction or suspension of some programs, especially those related to infectious diseases, health emergencies, and support for low-income countries.

Second, the WHO's political clout is weakened. Without US support, the WHO loses one of the most influential actors in what is known as health diplomacy, which will make international coordination in future crises more difficult.

Third, it creates the conditions for fragmentation and contradictory messages. The recently published food pyramid is the best example of this. As citizens were presented with a different health pyramid than the current one, questions about its acceptability are inevitable.

But this retreat should also be seen as an opportunity.

During the COVID pandemic, the WHO had serious shortcomings. Its response to China was delayed. The recommendations of its experts were often contradictory and changed within days. Communication about vaccines was weak and, instead of calming public opinion, in many cases fueled conspiracy theories, which continue to this day and have irreparably damaged people's trust in vaccines.

Beyond the pandemic, the WHO has been criticized for years for bureaucratic inflexibility, slow decision-making, political influence from certain countries, and a lack of transparency in some processes of vital importance to global public health. These criticisms are not new and are not without basis.

In a world facing new health challenges, from pandemics to climate change, antimicrobial resistance and population aging, the WHO cannot function with the logic of the last century.

We live in an era of digitalization, real-time data, transparency, and efficiency.

A global health organization must be fast, open, independent, and credible. Qualities that the WHO, if not lost, at least does not have to the required level.

In this sense, the US withdrawal should not be seen only as a blow, but as an alarm signal. An opportunity for the WHO to reflect, correct its mistakes, and deeply reform itself.

Because global health needs a stronger WHO.

But the WHO also needs to change to deserve this role.