Argentina has formally withdrawn from the World Health Organization (WHO), the country’s Foreign Minister Pablo Quirno announced on Tuesday, following the example of the United States earlier this year.
The government of President Javier Milei, an ally of former US President Donald Trump, had announced its intention to leave the UN health body a year ago, criticising the WHO’s handling of the Covid-19 pandemic.
The Foreign Ministry said the withdrawal process has now been completed in accordance with international treaty timelines.
“Argentina will continue to promote international cooperation in health through bilateral agreements and regional forums, while fully preserving its sovereignty and its capacity to make decisions regarding health policies,” Quirno said on X.
Last year, Argentina described the WHO’s recommendations as “ineffective because they are not based on science, but on political interests.”
The United States formalized its withdrawal from WHO in January, a year after Trump signed an executive order to exit the organisation upon his return to the White House.
WHO has historically played a key role in eradicating smallpox and addressing public health threats such as polio, HIV, Ebola, and tuberculosis.
In January, WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus expressed deep regret over the US withdrawal, warning that it could undermine global and national health security.
