RFK Jr. & WHO: US Withdrawal Plan
- The United States is formally withdrawing from the World Health Organization (WHO), according to an announcement by U.S.
- remains committed to international health cooperation, but seeks a new framework.
- The withdrawal from WHO highlights the administration's focus on domestic health priorities, particularly tackling chronic disease.
U.S. Announces Withdrawal from WHO, Citing Pandemic Response Concerns
The United States is formally withdrawing from the World Health Organization (WHO), according to an announcement by U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.The decision reflects the Trump administration’s shift in global health strategy, emphasizing concerns over the WHO’s political interference, bureaucratic inefficiency, and conflicts of interest.
kennedy stated the U.S. remains committed to international health cooperation, but seeks a new framework. He advocated for creating obvious and accountable institutions to replace the WHO’s current role in global health.
The withdrawal from WHO highlights the administration’s focus on domestic health priorities, particularly tackling chronic disease. Kennedy emphasized the need to move away from industry-driven models to address chronic illnesses, which he said are burdening the healthcare system.
“The WHO often acts like it has forgotten that its members must remain accountable to their own citizens and not to transnational or corporate interests,” Kennedy said.
Kennedy criticized the WHO’s handling of the COVID-19 pandemic, alleging the organization suppressed reports of human-to-human transmission under pressure from China. He also claimed the WHO promoted the theory that COVID-19 originated from bats or pangolins, rather than research at the Wuhan biolab.
Policy measures mentioned include removing harmful food additives, investigating causes of autism, reducing consumption of ultra-processed foods, and supporting lifestyle changes to strengthen immunity. These changes, Kennedy said, require a systemic overhaul.
“We’re not going to participate in that,” Kennedy said, referring to the proposed Pandemic Agreement. “We need to reboot the whole system.”
Kennedy called on other nations to reconsider their relationship with the WHO and join the U.S. in establishing a new global health framework. The Trump administration is already in talks with like-minded countries and extends an invitation to health ministers worldwide.
“We want to free international health cooperation from the straightjacket of political interference by corrupting influences of the pharmaceutical companies, of adversarial nations and their NGO proxies,” he said.
What’s next
The U.S. aims to collaborate with other nations to establish a new, more effective framework for international health cooperation, focusing on clarity and accountability.