Ashhar Alam/New Delhi

The United States has formally withdrawn from the World Health Organisation (WHO), launching a scathing attack on the global health body and accusing it of bureaucratic inefficiency, politicisation and grave failures during the COVID-19 pandemic.

🚨 EFFECTIVE TODAY: The United States has exited the World Health Organization.

This fulfills President Trump’s commitment under an executive order signed one year ago, following the WHO’s mishandling of COVID-19 and its ongoing lack of reform, accountability, & transparency. pic.twitter.com/Xb2zNtBZwP

— The White House (@WhiteHouse) January 23, 2026

In a joint statement, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr said Washington’s engagement with the WHO will now be limited solely to completing the withdrawal process and ensuring the protection of American public health interests.

The statement announced an immediate halt to all US funding and staffing support for WHO programmes. It said the United States would continue to play a leading role in global public health through direct, bilateral partnerships rather than what it described as the WHO’s “bloated and inefficient bureaucracy”.

“The United States will continue to lead the world in saving lives and preventing infectious disease threats from reaching our shores,” the statement said, adding that future engagement would focus on “transparent, results-driven” cooperation with trusted partners.

Confirming the withdrawal, the statement said President Donald Trump had fulfilled a key pledge by signing Executive Order 14155 on his first day in office. The move, it said, was a response to the WHO’s handling of the COVID-19 crisis and the damage those failures inflicted on Americans.

“Promises made, promises kept,” the statement declared.

The US accused the WHO of abandoning its core mission and acting against American interests despite Washington being one of its founding members and largest financial contributors. It alleged the organisation had pursued a politicised agenda influenced by countries hostile to the US, delaying the sharing of critical information during the pandemic.

According to the statement, these actions cost lives and were later concealed under the guise of public health decision-making.

The administration also accused the WHO of continuing to disrespect the United States even as it exits the organisation, claiming the body has refused to return the American flag displayed at its headquarters and has demanded compensation, despite Washington’s withdrawal.

“From founder to final day, the insults to America have continued,” the statement said.

Concluding the announcement, the US government said the decision marked an end to what it called entrenched bureaucracy, conflicts of interest and political paralysis within the organisation.

“We withdraw for the Americans who died alone, the small businesses destroyed, and the lives shattered by this organisation’s inaction,” it said.

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The move follows a broader policy shift announced earlier this month, when President Trump signed a memorandum directing the US to exit international organisations, conventions and treaties deemed contrary to national interests.

According to the White House, the directive covers withdrawal from 35 non-UN bodies and 31 UN-linked entities, including the UN Population Fund, UN Water, UN Energy, the International Trade Centre and the Peacebuilding Commission.