Argentina has officially announced its decision to withdraw from the World Health Organization (WHO), ensuring that international health cooperation will continue through bilateral and regional agreements. The recent revelation follows in the footsteps of the United States as Argentina maintains formal ties with the global health body.
The move was initially announced in February last year, and a month later Quirno explained that right-wing President Javier Milei’s agreement had constituted a formal notice of withdrawal to the WHO.
Quirno wrote in his social media post on Tuesday: “Today Argentina’s withdrawal from the World Health Organization (WHO) comes into effect, marking one year since the formal notification was made by our country.”
“Argentina will continue to provide international health cooperation through bilateral agreements and regional forums, while fully maintaining its sovereignty and ability to make health policy decisions.”
Argentina’s recent decision to withdraw from the WHO mirrors a similar move by its right-wing ally, US President Donald Trump. Both leaders have been observed to have expressed their anger against international organizations which they accuse of promoting progressive policies in areas such as healthcare and medicine. Last year’s announcement that Argentina would step back from the global health care organization came about a month after Trump initiated the U.S. withdrawal.
The US formalized its withdrawal in January for similar reasons, a decision regretted by WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
“Unfortunately, the reasons given for the US decision to withdraw from the WHO are not true,” Ghebreyesus said in a social media post at the time. Nevertheless, Argentina will no longer have a seat at the table if the WHO declares public health emergencies, potentially delaying access to global emergency resources.
