the World Health Organization

Here's what we'll lose if the U.S. cuts ties with the WHO

Find out why the international agency exists in the first place—and the ramifications a U.S. withdrawal could have for global health.

World Health Organization (WHO) Health Emergencies Programme head Michael Ryan, WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, and WHO's COVID-19 technical lead Maria Van Kerkhove attend a press conference on July 3, 2020 at the WHO headquarters in Geneva.

Photograph by Fabrice Coffrini, Pool, AFPA via Getty images

On July 7, the Trump Administration formally notified the United Nations that the United States will withdraw from the World Health Organization.

Though the move can’t take effect before July 6, 2021, the revelation that the agency may lose one of its top funders comes as the WHO guides the global response to the coronavirus pandemic, which has killed more than half a million people in only six months.

For months, President Donald Trump has chastised the WHO’s response to the pandemic, criticizing it for alleged favors to China and in some cases falsely accusing the organization of ignoring reports about the virus’s spread. In April, Trump announced that he was halting funding to the organization in order

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