This factsheet has been up to date to mirror the Trump Administration’s Govt Order on Withdrawing america from the World Well being Group, issued on January 20, 2025.
Key Information
The World Well being Group (WHO), based in 1948, is a specialised company of the United Nations with a broad mandate to behave as a coordinating authority on worldwide well being points, together with serving to international locations mount responses to public well being emergencies.
The U.S. authorities (U.S.) has been actively engaged with WHO all through its historical past, offering monetary and technical assist in addition to taking part in its governance construction. Nevertheless, on January 20, 2025, President Trump introduced the U.S. would withdraw as a member of WHO and halt funding to the group. In 2020, through the first Trump administration, the U.S. quickly suspended funding and initiated a course of to finish membership, actions that had been reversed by the Biden administration in 2021.
Traditionally, the U.S. has traditionally been one of many largest funders of WHO. U.S. contributions have ranged between $163 million and $816 million yearly over the past decade.
Over the past a number of years WHO has overseen negotiation processes to replace an present settlement often known as the Worldwide Well being Laws (IHR), and to determine a possible new “pandemic settlement”. In Could 2024, member states permitted a set of revisions to the IHR however determined to increase the negotiation timeline for a pandemic settlement into 2025. By government order from President Trump the U.S. will not take part in pandemic settlement negotiations, and its future is unsure.
In 2024, WHO launched its first ever “funding spherical,” searching for to mobilize a further $7 billion from present and new donors to assist its operations by means of 2028. As of the tip of 2024, the group reported it acquired $3.8 billion in further donor pledges, amounting to 53% of its fundraising objective. The Biden administration didn’t announce a pledge to WHO at the moment and the Trump administration has already stated that it’ll stop funding the group.
What’s the World Well being Group?
WHO, based in 1948, is a specialised company of the United Nations. As outlined in its structure, WHO has a broad mandate to “act because the directing and coordinating authority on worldwide well being work” inside the United Nations system. It has 194 member states.
The company has performed a key function in quite a lot of previous world well being achievements, such because the Alma-Ata Declaration on major well being care (1978), the eradication of smallpox (formally acknowledged in 1980), the Framework Conference on Tobacco Management (adopted in 2003), and the 2005 revision of the Worldwide Well being Laws (IHR), a world settlement that outlines roles and duties in getting ready for and responding to worldwide well being emergencies. Â WHO has often offered member states with technical steering and assist throughout responses to epidemics and pandemics, akin to Ebola, Zika, mpox, and COVID-19.
Mission and Priorities
WHO’s overarching mission is “attainment by all peoples of the best doable stage of well being.” It helps its mission by means of actions akin to:
offering technical help to international locations;
setting worldwide well being requirements and offering steering on well being points;
coordinating and supporting worldwide responses to well being emergencies akin to illness outbreaks; and
selling and advocating for higher world well being.
The group additionally serves as a convener and host for worldwide conferences and discussions on well being points. Whereas WHO is usually not a direct funder of well being providers and applications in international locations, it does present provides and different assist throughout emergencies and carries out applications funded by donors.
WHO’s overarching goal for its present work interval (2019-2025) has been “making certain wholesome lives and selling well-being for all in any respect ages.” In pursuit of this goal, it has been specializing in three strategic priorities (the “triple-billion targets”): serving to 1 billion extra individuals profit from common well being protection; making certain 1 billion extra individuals are higher protected towards well being emergencies; and serving to 1 billion extra individuals take pleasure in higher well being and well-being.
As a part of its work to assist international locations be higher protected towards well being emergencies – and propelled by the problems and challenges confronted through the COVID-19 pandemic – WHO has been overseeing two units of worldwide negotiations amongst member states:
On the Could 2024 World Well being Meeting (WHA) assembly, member states did attain consensus and permitted a set of revisions to the IHR. On the pandemic settlement, member states haven’t but reached consensus and determined to proceed negotiations into 2025 with a objective of finishing negotiations and voting on the settlement on the Could 2025 WHA assembly.
Group
WHO has a worldwide attain, with a headquarters workplace positioned in Geneva, Switzerland, six semi-autonomous regional workplaces that oversee actions in every area, and a community of nation workplaces and representatives all over the world. It’s led by a Director-Basic (DG), at present Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, who was first appointed in 2017 and was re-elected to a second five-year time period in Could 2022. Dr. Tedros has indicated that his priorities embrace persevering with to strengthen WHO’s financing, staffing, and operations; constructing pandemic preparedness and response capacities at WHO and elsewhere; and serving to international locations re-orient well being techniques towards major well being care and common well being protection.
World Well being Meeting
The World Well being Meeting (WHA), comprised of representatives from 194 member states, is the supreme decision-making physique for WHO and is convened yearly. It’s accountable for choosing the Director-Basic, setting priorities, and approving WHO’s finances and actions. The annual WHA assembly in Might also serves as a key discussion board for nations to debate and make choices about well being coverage and WHO organizational points. Each 4 years, the WHA negotiates and approves a piece plan for WHO, often known as the overall programme of labor (GPW). The present GPW, for 2019-2023, has been prolonged by the WHA by means of 2025. Each two years the WHA additionally approves WHO’s programme finances in assist of its work plan; the present programme finances covers the 2024-2025 biennium. Extra details about WHO’s finances offered under.
Govt Board
WHO’s Govt Board, comprised of 34 members technically certified within the discipline of well being, facilitates the implementation of the company’s work plan and supplies proposals and suggestions to the Director-Basic and the WHA. The 34 members are drawn from six areas as follows:
7 signify Africa,
6 signify the Americas,
5 signify the Japanese Mediterranean,
8 signify Europe,
3 signify South-East Asia, and
5 signify the Western Pacific.
Member states inside every area designate members to serve on the Govt Board on a rotating foundation. The U.S. at present holds a seat on the Govt Board.
Actions
WHO helps actions throughout quite a lot of key areas, organized into a number of “finances segments,” together with “base programmes,” emergency operations, polio eradication, and “particular programmes” (see Desk 1). “Base programmes” refers back to the core assist offered for WHO headquarters actions, regional operations, and efforts akin to bettering entry to high quality important well being providers, important medicines, vaccines, diagnostics, and units for major well being care. “Emergency operations” consists of WHO efforts to assist international locations put together for and reply to epidemics and different well being emergencies akin to COVID-19, mpox, and pure disasters. “Particular programmes” consists of quite a lot of WHO-led initiatives such because the Analysis and Coaching in Tropical Illnesses program and Pandemic Influenza Preparedness (PIP) Framework actions.
Funding
Programme Price range
WHO has a programme finances set prematurely by member states, which is supposed to stipulate deliberate actions to fulfill its work plan over a two-year interval (biennium) and describes the “useful resource ranges required to ship that work.” The present programme finances of $6.834 billion covers the interval 2024-2025, and was permitted by member states in Could 2023. This quantity represents a slight (2%) enhance over WHO’s earlier 2022-2023 programme finances of $6.726 billion. See Desk 1.
The programme finances represents a plan for the group’s anticipated sources, however precise sources might deviate from the preliminary budgeted quantities over course of the biennium as a result of altering or sudden circumstances, akin to further sources (income) offered to WHO for emergency responses or decrease ranges of assist than anticipated. For instance, within the earlier biennium (2022-2023) WHO reported programme sources that totaled $8.4 billion as a result of further funding in assist of emergency operations, together with COVID-19 response and polio eradication actions.
Income
WHO has two major sources of income:
assessed contributions (set quantities anticipated to be paid by member-state governments, scaled by revenue and inhabitants) and
voluntary contributions (different funds offered by member states, plus contributions from non-public organizations and people).
Most assessed contributions are thought of “core” funding, which means they’re versatile funds which can be usually used to cowl normal bills and program actions. Voluntary contributions, then again, are sometimes “specified” funds, which means they’re earmarked by donors for sure actions. Though a long time in the past nearly all of WHO’s income got here from assessed contributions, extra not too long ago voluntary contributions have comprised the bigger share of WHO’s finances. For instance, within the earlier finances interval (2022-2023) assessed contributions totaled $956.9 million (12.1% of whole income), voluntary contributions totaled $6.92 billion (87.5% of whole income), and “different income” totaled $28.1 million (0.4%). See Determine 1.
Reliance on voluntary, comparatively rigid funding has, in WHO’s view, hampered its operations and effectiveness. In 2022, member states, together with the U.S., agreed in precept to maneuver towards extra predictable, versatile funding for WHO and to scale back the function of specified voluntary contributions. Since then, member states have permitted a 20% enhance in assessed contributions for the 2024-2025 biennium, and instituted a objective to have 50% of WHO’s programme finances be financed by means of assessed contributions by 2030 (which may very well be linked to WHO first assembly sure organizational benchmarks). As well as, in 2024 member states permitted the launch of WHO’s first-ever “funding spherical, which goals to mobilize further funding for WHO over the subsequent 4 years. In its funding case for 2025-2028, WHO estimates it’ll want $11 billion to implement its world program of labor (GPW) over this era, however member state assessments (core contributions) are prone to quantity to $4 billion, leaving a $7 billion hole to fill with voluntary contributions and different donations. To assist fill this hole, WHO held a sequence of conferences and “pledging moments,” culminating in a high-level occasion across the G20 leaders’ summit in Brazil in November 2024. By way of this course of, WHO reviews it was in a position to generate a further $3.8 billion in donor pledges by means of 2028, or 53% of its authentic objective of $7 billion. The Biden administration didn’t announce any further pledges to WHO by means of the funding spherical, and now the Trump administration has stated that it’ll stop funding the group.
Challenges
WHO faces quite a lot of institutional challenges, together with:
a scope of accountability that has expanded over time with little development in core, non-emergency funding;
an rigid finances dominated in recent times by much less predictable voluntary contributions usually earmarked for particular actions;
a cumbersome, decentralized, and bureaucratic governance construction; and
a twin mandate of being each a technical company with well being experience and a political physique the place states debate and negotiate on generally divisive well being points.
These and different challenges had been notably evident throughout and after perceived failures of the company within the response to the Ebola epidemic in West Africa (2014-2015), and within the criticisms directed at WHO because it tried to assist coordinate a worldwide response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Whilst many member states proceed to assist WHO and acknowledge its significance for world well being, many are additionally calling for reforms to the group that may assist deal with its weaknesses. WHO itself helps reforms in a number of areas and has taken some inner reform actions, whereas additionally launching its new “funding spherical” and ushering negotiation processes to revise the Worldwide Well being Laws and set up a brand new pandemic accord, every of which incorporates reforms to WHO practices.
U.S. Engagement with WHO
The U.S. authorities has lengthy been engaged with WHO in a number of methods together with by means of monetary assist, participation in governance and diplomacy, and joint actions (see under). In 2020, after the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, the primary Trump administration suspended monetary assist and initiated a course of to withdraw the U.S. from membership within the group. Below the Biden administration, U.S. relations with the group had been re-established in January 2021, and U.S. funding to WHO was restored. Nevertheless, on January 20, 2025 President Trump signed an Govt Order in his first day of workplace to as soon as once more droop U.S. contributions to WHO, withdraw U.S. membership, and recall all U.S. personnel working with the group. Below the rules within the WHO Structure, the withdrawal of a member state from the group turns into official after one yr after discover is given.
Monetary Assist
One of many primary methods by which the U.S. authorities helps WHO is thru its assessed and voluntary contributions (which have now been halted beneath the brand new Govt Order from President Trump). The U.S. has traditionally been the one largest contributor to WHO. Within the 2020-2021 interval (when the Trump administration withheld some U.S. funding through the COVID-19 pandemic), it was the third largest since different donors, notably Germany and the Invoice and Melinda Gates Basis, elevated their contributions in response to COVID-19. The Biden administration restored funding beginning in 2021 and within the 2022-2023 interval the U.S. was as soon as once more the biggest contributor to WHO.
For a few years, the assessed contribution for the U.S. has been set at 22% of all member state assessed contributions, the utmost allowed fee. Between FY 2015 and FY 2024, the U.S. assessed contribution has been pretty steady, fluctuating between $109 million and $122 million (in FY 2019 and FY 2020 the U.S. really paid lower than its assessed quantity, and in FY 2021 it paid greater than that quantity as a result of funds made towards excellent arrears). See Determine 2.
Voluntary contributions for particular tasks or actions, then again, have different to mirror altering U.S. priorities and/or assist throughout worldwide crises. Over the previous decade, U.S. voluntary contributions have ranged from a low of $105 million in FY 2020 to a excessive of $694 million in FY 2022. Larger quantities of voluntary contributions will be reflective of elevated U.S. assist for particular WHO actions akin to emergency response. U.S. voluntary contributions additionally assist a spread of different WHO actions akin to polio eradication; maternal, new child, and little one well being applications; psychological well being providers for victims of torture and trauma; well being coordination in COVID-19 response; and different infectious illnesses.
WHO reviews that U.S. assessed and voluntary contributions collectively represented 15.6% of WHO’s whole income within the 2022-2023 biennium, making the U.S. the biggest donor to WHO throughout that interval.
Governance Actions
Previously, the U.S. had been an energetic participant in WHO governance, together with by means of the Govt Board and the World Well being Meeting (WHA), although beneath the brand new Govt Order from President Trump, all official U.S. participation in WHO has been halted. The U.S. held a seat on the WHO Govt Board when the Govt Order was issued in January 2025. The U.S. had traditionally been an energetic and engaged member of the WHA, sending a big delegation annually that has sometimes been led by a consultant from the Division of Well being and Human Providers, with a number of different U.S. companies and departments additionally taking part. The U.S. was additionally actively taking part within the negotiations to develop a brand new pandemic settlement and took part within the latest course of to replace and amend the IHR settlement.
Technical Assist
The U.S. had, prior to now, offered technical assist to WHO by means of a wide range of actions and partnerships. This consists of U.S. authorities consultants and sources supporting analysis and reference laboratory work through WHO collaborating centres and participation of U.S. consultants on advisory panels and advisory teams convened by WHO. The U.S. contributions to WHO collaborating centres have included technical areas akin to most cancers, occupational well being, vitamin, continual illnesses, and bettering well being applied sciences. As well as, U.S. authorities representatives had been usually seconded to or have served as liaisons at WHO headquarters and WHO regional workplaces, working day-to-day with employees on technical efforts, although these personnel have been recalled beneath the brand new Trump Administration Govt Order.
Partnering Actions
The U.S. has additionally labored in partnership with WHO earlier than and through responses to outbreaks and different worldwide well being emergencies, together with taking part in worldwide groups that WHO organizes to research and reply to outbreaks all over the world. For instance, the U.S. labored with WHO and the broader multilateral response to the Ebola epidemic in West Africa that started in 2014, and U.S. scientists had been a part of the WHO delegation that visited China in February 2020 to evaluate its response to COVID-19. To assist additional develop areas of partnership and coordination, the Biden administration has instituted semi-regular “strategic dialogue” conferences to create an everyday discussion board for discussions between key U.S. and WHO officers.
