Argentina will withdraw from the WHO

Argentina's presidential spokesman, Manuel Adorni, announced that President Javier Milei will withdraw the country from the World Health Organization (WHO) due to "profound differences regarding health management."

The decision "is based on the deep differences regarding health management, especially in the (COVID-19) pandemic," the spokesman added at a press conference.

"We Argentines are not going to allow an international body to intervene in our sovereignty, much less in our health," Adorni added.

The spokesman explained that this measure "gives the country greater flexibility to implement policies adapted to the context of interests that Argentina requiresas well as greater availability of resources and reaffirms our path towards a country with sovereignty in health matters."

The Argentine government's decision aligns with the decree signed by President Donald Trump for the United States to leave the WHO and freeze U.S. funding for AIDS programs in developing countries.

The withdrawal of the United States, the largest contributor to the international health body, forced the WHO to review its programs and priorities, the UN agency said in an internal email accessed by AFP.