The World Health Organization on Tuesday issued a forceful response to the United States' notification that it intends to withdraw from the agency, saying the move would make "both the United States and the world less safe" and warning that the consequences will reverberate far beyond Geneva.
In a statement that mixed regret, rebuttal and institutional self-defense, WHO said it "regrets the United States' notification of withdrawal from WHO" and underscored the long history of American involvement in the organization. As a founding member, the United States has contributed to some of WHO's most significant public health victories, including the eradication of smallpox and progress against polio, HIV, Ebola, influenza, tuberculosis, malaria, neglected tropical diseases, antimicrobial resistance and food safety, the agency said.
The withdrawal notice now sets up a formal process inside WHO. The organization said the matter will be considered by the WHO Executive Board at its regular meeting beginning Feb. 2, and later by the World Health Assembly at its annual meeting in May 2026. Those meetings are expected to become the main institutional battleground over one of the most consequential ruptures in the relationship between Washington and the world's top public health body.
WHO also directly challenged the Trump administration's criticism of the agency, saying it had taken note of U.S. claims that WHO has "trashed and tarnished" and insulted the United States, and compromised its independence. "The reverse is true," the statement said. "As we do with every Member State, WHO has always sought to engage with the United States in good faith, with full respect for its sovereignty."
The United States cited what it called "WHO failures during the COVID-19 pandemic" as one of the reasons for its decision, accusing the agency of "obstructing the timely and accurate sharing of critical information" and saying WHO "concealed those failures." WHO rejected that characterization and defended its pandemic response, saying that while "no organization or government got everything right," it stood by its actions during an unprecedented global emergency.
According to the agency, it moved quickly after receiving the first reports of a cluster of "pneumonia of unknown cause" in Wuhan, China, on Dec. 31, 2019. WHO said it immediately asked China for more information and activated its emergency incident management system. By Jan. 11, 2020, when the first death was reported from China, WHO said it had already alerted the world through formal channels, public statements and social media, convened global experts and published guidance for countries on how to protect their populations and health systems.
The organization also pointed to Jan. 30, 2020, when the WHO director-general declared COVID-19 a public health emergency of international concern under the International Health Regulations, the highest level of alarm under international health law. At that point, WHO said, there were fewer than 100 reported cases outside China and no reported deaths.
In a reminder of the urgency it says it conveyed at the time, WHO noted that the director-general repeatedly urged countries to act immediately, warning that "the window of opportunity is closing," that "this is not a drill" and describing COVID-19 as "public enemy number one."
WHO also sought to clarify one of the most politically charged aspects of the pandemic debate: its guidance on public health measures. The agency said it recommended the use of masks, vaccines and physical distancing, but "at no stage recommended mask mandates, vaccine mandates or lockdowns." It said it supported sovereign governments in making their own decisions based on what they believed was best for their populations.
The statement comes as global health officials continue to grapple with the aftershocks of the pandemic, including weakened health systems, uneven vaccine access and renewed questions about how the world should prepare for the next outbreak. WHO said that in response to multiple reviews of the COVID-19 pandemic, including assessments of its own performance, it has already taken steps to strengthen its work and help countries improve their preparedness and response capacities.
The agency emphasized that the systems it developed and managed before, during and after the emergency phase of the pandemic operate around the clock and have helped keep all countries safe, including the United States.
Ultimately, the agency's message was unmistakable: WHO is preparing to fight the political and diplomatic fallout of a U.S. exit while insisting that its role in global health remains indispensable. For now, the withdrawal notice has opened a new and uncertain chapter in a relationship that has long shaped international disease control, emergency response and the architecture of global health governance.