The African Union on Wednesday expressed disappointment over President Donald Trump’s decision to withdraw the United States from the World Health Organization (WHO), urging his administration to reconsider the move.
The decision came shortly after Trump signed an executive order on Monday, directing the US to exit the UN health agency, which could severely impact global health initiatives by reducing funding.
In a statement, African Union Commission Chairman, Moussa Faki Mahamat said he was “dismayed to learn of the US government’s announcement to withdraw” from the Geneva-based organization.
The US, as the largest financial contributor to the WHO, plays a critical role in supporting global health efforts, including addressing ongoing health challenges in Africa such as outbreaks of mpox and the Marburg virus.
“Now more than ever, the world depends on WHO to ensure global public health security as a shared common good,” Moussa Faki emphasized, expressing hope that “the US government will reconsider its decision.”
He also acknowledged the US as an early supporter of the Africa CDC, the African Union’s health agency that collaborates with WHO to combat pandemics and health crises.
Trump has previously criticized the WHO for its handling of the COVID-19 pandemic, claiming it failed to serve US interests. He remarked before his inauguration that the organization had “ripped us off.”
During Trump’s first term, the US began the process of withdrawing from the WHO, a decision that was later reversed by President Joe Biden. The withdrawal has drawn criticism from public health experts, with former US health official Tom Frieden warning on X (formerly Twitter) that it “weakens America’s influence, increases the risk of a deadly pandemic, and makes all of us less safe.”
The move comes amidst concerns over the pandemic potential of avian influenza, which recently claimed its first human life in the United States.
Meanwhile, WHO member states continue negotiations on the world’s first pandemic treaty, initiated in late 2021, now proceeding without US participation.
