In response to President Donald Trump signing an Executive Order withdrawing the United States from the World Health Organization (WHO), Amanda Klasing, National Director of Government Relations and Advocacy at Amnesty International USA, made the following statement:
“With President Trump’s short-sighted decision to withdraw the United States from the World Health Organization (WHO), he is showing the world his blatant disregard for global public health and the need for countries to work together to tackle global health threats.
“Historically, the United States has been one of the largest funders of the WHO and an instrumental partner in ensuring that there is a global umbrella to promote health, keep the world safe, and work towards the day when all people, regardless of their circumstance, can access their human right to the highest attainable standard of health.
“This decision will undermine public health both in the United States and around the globe. Beyond access to basic healthcare, we do not need to look farther than the COVID-19 pandemic to know that outbreaks do not stop at borders. The WHO is the best equipped global organization to respond to global health emergencies, and withholding U.S. funding and partnership risks harming the rights and lives of people all over the world, including people in the U.S.
“Withdrawing from the WHO is a political maneuver untethered from the reality that this decision will undoubtedly harm people here in the United States while hobbling the global community to respond to health crises that are increasingly global in nature. We urge the Trump administration to reconsider and demonstrate that the United States is still committed to supporting this international institution publicly committed to promoting health and keeping the world safe.”
Background
- The WHO is the primary international body with a mandate to support global public health. It implements numerous programs to prevent, control, and treat diseases including Ebola, measles, malaria, HIV and AIDS, diabetes, heart disease, cancer and others. It also plays a key role in addressing the COVID-19 pandemic.
- The U.S. has been one of the WHO’s largest donors. It is required to give a one-year notice before it is able to leave the WHO.
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