Argentina follows US in withdrawing from World Health Organization

Argentine President Javier Milei has ordered the country to withdraw from the World Health Organization (WHO), according to AP on February 5.

The decision was based on “profound differences in health management, especially during the (Covid-19) pandemic,” Milei’s spokesman Manuel Adorni told a news conference in the Argentine capital Buenos Aires. Adorni said WHO guidelines at the time had led to the largest lockdown “in human history.”

Argentine President Javier Milei at the annual meeting of the World Economic Forum (WEF) in Switzerland on January 23.

Mr Adorni added that Argentina would not allow an international organisation to interfere with its sovereignty “and even less with our health”. He said the WHO lacked independence due to the political influence of certain countries, without naming any.

In fact, WHO has no authority to force countries to take specific health actions, and its guidance and recommendations, even during health crises like the Covid-19 pandemic, are often ignored, according to AP.

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Mr Adorni did not say when the decision would be implemented by President Milei, who was a fierce critic of the lockdown imposed by former President Alberto Fernandez during the Covid-19 pandemic, saying it was damaging the economy.

Mr. Adorni said that Argentina does not receive WHO funding for health management activities and that President Milei's decision does not affect the quality of the country's health services. "On the contrary, this decision provides more flexibility to implement policies that are applied according to the interests of Argentina," Mr. Adorni added.

Last year, President Milei's government refused to sign an agreement to manage the pandemic within the WHO framework, arguing that doing so could affect national sovereignty.

The WHO said it was reviewing Argentina's announcement. President Milei's decision is similar to that of his ally, US President Donald Trump. Mr. Trump began the process of withdrawing the US from the WHO by executive order on his first day back in the White House on January 21.

The loss of another member state would further fray cooperation in global health, even though Argentina is expected to provide only about $8 million to the WHO out of the agency's estimated $6.9 billion budget for 2024-2025, according to AP.

Source: https://thanhnien.vn/argentina-theo-chan-my-rut-khoi-to-chuc-y-te-the-gioi-185250206084532746.htm