Why Working with the WHO is a Win for the U.S.

Share On January 20, 2025, the Trump Administration announced its intent to withdraw from the World Health Organization (WHO). The decision set in motion a process that included a one-year transition period, a legal requirement that the U.S. settle any outstanding dues and a series of operational steps still being worked through behind the scenes. Upon the announcement, some observers interpreted the move as a step back from multilateral engagement. A closer reading of events, however, points to something more nuanced. The Administration’s stated objectives for U.S. global health engagement – speed, accountability, early warning and results – reflect the very mandate WHO was created to fulfill. Detecting and Managing Disease Outbreaks With a physical presence on the ground in 166 countries and 194 Member States, WHO provides the U.S. with an unparalleled opportunity for global disease surveillance. While bilateral engagement on health can be beneficial, WHO’s centralized network facilitates expedient, coordinated information sharing and response that ensure global health threats are stopped before they reach U.S. shores. With a physical presence on the ground in 166 countries and 194 Member States, the WHO network provides the U.S. with an unparalleled opportunity for global disease surveillance. Just months ago, we saw the benefits of this system in the response to a Marburg outbreak in Rwanda. In September 2024, the Rwandan Ministry of Health confirmed the presence of the highly contagious disease, which causes internal bleeding and organ failure and for which there is no approved vaccine or treatment. Thanks to WHO investments in preparedness and the rapid deployment of WHO experts to the region, Rwandan officials contained the spread, achieving one of the lowest Marburg mortality rates on record and stopping a global health threat before left the country. Expanding the Market for U.S. Medical Innovation WHO’s prequalification system is a critical market-access engine for U.S. vaccine and medical manufacturers, streamlining regulatory pathways, speeding global uptake of American innovations and enabling rapid, large-scale deployment of lifesaving treatments when crises hit. Without WHO prequalification, U.S. medical innovators must navigate a patchwork of country-by-country approvals, slowing market entry, delaying adoption and inhibiting the global reach of American technologies. The prequalification system also enables emergency authorization during health crises, getting treatments from lab to patients when time matters most. As the world leader in medical research and innovation, U.S. engagement in WHO’s prequalification system ensures American breakthroughs continue to anchor the global health marketplace and support the continued health of American communities and businesses. The WHO prequalification system enables rapid emergency authorization during health crises, ensuring new treatments move quickly from lab to patients when time matters most. Ending the Scourge of Polio With a 99.9% decrease in global wild polio cases since 1988, the world is standing on the one-yard line of eradicating this highly contagious and devastating disease. The last remaining cases of wild polio continue to plague isolated, hard-to-reach communities in Afghanistan and Pakistan, areas where WHO can operate and others, like the U.S., cannot. By working with WHO on our shared goal of eradicating polio, the U.S. is investing in its own global health future. We saw the benefits of this cooperation previously with the successful eradication of smallpox in 1980. When the U.S. works alongside WHO to mitigate and ultimately end the spread of a disease overseas, Americans are protected at home. When the U.S. works alongside WHO to mitigate and ultimately end the spread of a disease overseas, Americans are protected at home. Shaping the Future of WHO With a new WHO Director-General set to take office in 2027, the U.S. has a timely opportunity to engage constructively and help shape the organization’s future. Member State input remains a valuable part of this selection process. As a long-standing leader, major donor and advocate for reform, the U.S. is best positioned to advance global health priorities by remaining at the table and influencing the path forward. An Argument for Engagement Filling gaps in prevention and treatment, expanding access to cutting-edge medicines and medical technologies and fostering an interconnected global health surveillance network are the very core of WHO’s mission. Given its global presence and access to the hardest-to-reach places, WHO has the unique ability to complement U.S. initiatives and further U.S. global health goals. That’s why American engagement with WHO matters – and why we cannot afford to walk away.