Milei orders Argentina’s withdrawal from the World Health Organization

Javier Milei to withdraw Argentina from WHO Keystone-SDA

Argentinian president Javier Milei has announced plans to pull the country out of the Geneva-headquartered World Health Organization (WHO).

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His spokesperson cited major disagreements over health policies and the political sway of certain member states.

“The president has directed Foreign Minister Gerardo Werthein to pull Argentina out of the WHO,” presidential spokesperson Manuel Adorni announced at a press conference. He added that Argentinians “will not allow an international organisation to interfere with our sovereignty, especially our health.”

Highlighting the “differences” over health management, the spokesperson pointed to “the pandemic, which under Alberto Fernandez’s government (centre-left, 2019-2023) led to the longest lockdown in human history,” and criticised the WHO’s “lack of independence from the political influence of certain states.”

He added that this withdrawal will give the country “more flexibility to implement policies tailored to Argentina’s needs and interests, better access to resources and it reaffirms our commitment to being a sovereign nation in health matters.”

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Argentina’s announcement follows the recent decision of the United States to leave the WHO. At the end of January, US President Donald Trump, upon returning to the White House, signed an executive order to withdraw the US from the organisation, which he had previously criticised for its handling of the Covid-19 pandemic.

Milei, who has been in power since December 2023, has often shown his ideological and personal alignment with the US president, whom he sees as his main ally.

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Since the US announced its withdrawal, the WHO has expressed regret over Trump’s decision and hopes the US will “reconsider”. The US withdrawal is set to take effect at the end of January 2026.

Translated from French with DeepL/sp

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