Argentina says it will withdraw from the World Health Organization, echoing Trump

Argentina's President Javier Milei arrives to speak at Mar-a-Lago, Nov. 14, 2024, in Palm Beach, Fla. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon, File)

BUENOS AIRES — Argentina’s president has ordered the country’s withdrawal from the World Health Organization due to “profound differences” with the U.N. agency, a presidential spokesperson said Wednesday.

President Javier Milei ‘s decision echoes that of his ally, U.S. President Donald Trump, who began the process of pulling the United States out of WHO with an executive order on his first day back in office on Jan. 21.

The loss of another member country will further fracture cooperation in global health, though Argentina was expected to provide only about US$8 million to WHO for the agency’s estimated $6.9 billion 2024-2025 budget.

Argentina’s decision is based on “profound differences in health management, especially during the (COVID-19) pandemic,” spokesperson Manuel Adorni told a news conference in Buenos Aires. He said WHO guidelines at the time led to the largest shutdown “in the history of mankind.”

Argentina will not allow an international organization to intervene in its sovereignty “and much less in our health,” he added.

WHO has no authority to compel countries to take specific health actions, and the organization’s guidelines and recommendations, including in health crises like COVID-19, are often disregarded.

WHO said it was looking into Argentina’s announcement.

Adorni did not say when Milei’s decision would be implemented. He also asserted that WHO lacks independence because of the political influence of some countries, without naming any.

WHO is the only organization mandated to coordinate global responses to acute health crises, particularly outbreaks of new diseases and persistent threats including Ebola, AIDS and mpox.

Milei was a sharp critic of the lockdown imposed by former President Alberto Fernandez during the pandemic, asserting that it hurt the economy and that the government used it as a mechanism of “repression.”

“LONG LIVE FREEDOM,” Milei said Wednesday in a post on X criticizing the U.N. agency.

Argentina does not receive WHO funding for health management, and the president’s decision doesn’t affect the quality of health services, Adorni said.

“On the contrary, it gives greater flexibility to implement policies adopted to the context of interests that Argentina requires,” he added.

Last year, Milei’s government refused to sign an agreement to manage pandemics within the WHO framework, on the grounds that doing so could affect national sovereignty.

The announcement on the WHO comes ahead of Milei’s trip to the U.S. later this month that will coincide with the Conservative Political Action Conference summit of right-wing leaders in Washington. The spokesperson has not confirmed that Milei will attend or that he might meet Trump.

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By Almudena Calatrava

Associated Press writer Maria Cheng in London contributed.