TRUMP ORDERS US EXIT FROM THE WORLD HEALTH ORGANISATION

 The newly inaugurated president of the United States, Donald Trump has declared that he is withdrawing the US from the World Health Organization (WHO).
   
 He also endorsed an executive order pausing foreign development assistance for 90 days pending a review. 

  In his statement, he explained that the U.S. is withdrawing because the WHO mishandled the COVID-19 outbreak from Wuhan, China, and did not respond well to other health emergencies, failed to make important changes, and could not stay independent from political pressure from its member countries. 

  Trump stated that the WHO had not remained independent from the "inappropriate political influence" of its member countries and demanded "unfairly burdensome payments" from the U.S., which were disproportionate compared to the contributions of larger nations like China. 

  “World Health ripped us off, everybody rips off the United States. It’s not going to happen anymore,” he mentioned at the approving of an executive order on the withdrawal, shortly after his inauguration to a second term. 

   Trump has long been serious on the United Nations’ health agency, and his administration formally began a withdrawal from the WHO in July 2020 as the Covid-19 pandemic continued to spread. But four years ago, then-President Joe Biden halted the US’ exit from the body charged with coordinating the international response to health emergencies in one of his first actions after taking over the White House.
 
 The US is the WHO’s biggest donor, contributing around 18% of its overall funding. WHO’s most recent two-year budget, for 2024-2025, was $6.8 billion.
 The move means the U.S. will leave the United Nations health agency in 12 months’ time and stop all financial assistance to its work. Experts agree its exit would be a blow for the Geneva agency and the health of the world more broadly.