The United States will leave the World Health Organization (WHO) next July, the United Nations says.
The WHO revealed the timeline after receiving formal notification of the decision by US President Donald Trump more than a month ago.
Mr Trump had to give a year’s notice of the US withdrawal from the Geneva-based UN agency under a 1948 joint resolution of the US Congress, which also obliges Washington to pay financial support.
The United States will depart the WHO on July 6, 2021, and under the terms of the withdrawal, it must meet its financial obligations to the WHO before its exit can be finalised.
The US, which is the agency’s largest donor and provides it with more than $US450 million ($648 million) per year, currently owes the WHO about $288 million in current and past dues.
According to Mr Trump, Chinese officials had also ignored their reporting obligations to the WHO and pressured it to mislead the public about an outbreak that has now killed more than 130,000 Americans.
This is the letter sent to Dr. Tedros of the World Health Organization. It is self-explanatory! pic.twitter.com/pF2kzPUpDv
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) May 19, 2020
‘We have detailed the reforms that it must make and engaged with them directly, but they have refused to act,’ Mr Trump said.
‘Because they have failed to make the requested and greatly needed reforms, we will be today terminating the relationship.’
The withdrawal notification was widely denounced as misguided, certain to undermine an important institution that is leading vaccine development efforts and drug trials to address the COVID-19 outbreak.
In a recent speech at the White House to mark Independence Day celebrations across the US, Mr Trump said 99 per cent of coronavirus cases in the US were “totally harmless” and China must be “held accountable” for the pandemic’s spread.
‘China’s secrecy, deceptions and cover-up allowed it to spread all over the world [in] 189 countries and China must be held fully accountable,’ he said.☁
