Argentina Withdraws from World Health Organization Following US Action

Argentina Withdraws from World Health Organization

Argentinian President Javier Milei has announced that his country will be withdrawing from the World Health Organization (WHO), effective immediately. The decision was confirmed by Minister of Foreign Affairs Pablo Quirno on Tuesday, who stated that Argentina’s formal notice to the WHO was issued in February last year.

According to Quirno, Argentina will continue to promote international cooperation in health through bilateral agreements and regional forums, while maintaining its sovereignty and ability to make decisions regarding health policies. The move follows a similar decision made by US President Donald Trump, who withdrew his country from the WHO last year.

The WHO is an international agency that monitors health trends, tracks disease, promotes healthcare access, and trains medical providers. As of Tuesday, Argentina was listed as one of 194 member states on the organization’s website.

In February last year, Milei issued a formal notice to the WHO, citing concerns about the organization’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic. The decision was made despite the WHO being largely an advisory body that does not dictate policies to its member states.

The US formally withdrew from the WHO in January for similar reasons, with WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus expressing disappointment at the decision. “Unfortunately, the reasons cited for the US decision to withdraw from WHO are untrue,” he stated on social media.

Source: Al Jazeera