US says it has formally withdrawn from the WHO

The United States says it has formally withdrawn from the WHO, which is contesting its decision. Keystone-SDA

The United States announced on Thursday that it had formally withdrawn from the World Health Organization (WHO).

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However, the WHO has still not received the $260 million (CHF205 million) in arrears owed by Washington, which would legally validate the withdrawal.

The WHO has “failed to urgently approve reforms”, said the Department of Health and the State Department. Earlier last year, US President Donald Trump announced that he had set in motion a one-year process to withdraw from the organisation, which he accuses of having been too close to China during the pandemic.

The WHO had recently explained that the 1948 agreement between the United States and the WHO provides not only for one year’s notice but also for the payment of all financial contributions due. A legal official pointed out that there were still “arrears”. These have not been paid “to our knowledge”, a spokesman for the institution told Swiss News Agency Keystone-ATS on Thursday.

Adapted from French by AI/ts

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