The World Health Organization, also known as #WHO was established in 1948 as an effort to strengthen health systems in the United Nations. It was designed as a force to unite the countries of the world with the goal of improving overall health and well-being. Headquartered in Geneva, Switzerland, WHO consists of 193 countries and two associated members, one of which is the United States.

In May of 2020, former President Trump announced that the United States would terminate its relationship with WHO. Experts speculate that this could mean a ceasing of funding from the U.S. to WHO or it could mean a complete withdrawal. When the U.S. joined WHO in 1948, the agreement included the ability to withdraw with a one-year notice as long as all financial obligations were fulfilled. Some believe that an executive order cannot withdraw the U.S. from the World Health Organization while others believe that the Executive and Legislative branches together could withdraw the country from membership. 

Several countries have withdrawn from WHO since its establishment such as the Soviet Union, Romania, Hungary, and Czechoslovakia, primarily citing dissatisfaction with the work of the organization and the influence of the United States as deciding factors. Since the organization itself has no withdrawal policy, it considers countries who cease making financial contributions as inactive rather than withdrawn.

Currently the United States is the top financial contributor to the World Health Organization (WHO). At the time the #withdrawal announcement was made, the U.S. was behind on payments to WHO by $200 million. If the U.S. withdraws from WHO, the funds that were previously being paid to the organization could be repurposed somewhere else, possibly to domestic issues. People who oppose the withdrawal believe that the U.S. would lose their #influence in health innovations, development, and governance. Other developing countries may also take the withdrawal as an opportunity to make the health and well-being of their citizens less of a priority.

Because of the agreement that a withdrawal would require one-year notice, former President Trump could not follow through on his May 2020 announcement, as the decision was reversed by President Biden on his first day in office. President Biden cited a desire to unify the global response to coronavirus as his rationale for remaining in the organization. 

The question posed is: should the United States withdraw from the WHO?