US withdrawal from World Health Organization takes effect

On 22 January 2026 the withdrawal of the United States from the World Health Organization, directed by Executive Order 14155 of 20 January 2025, “Withdrawing the United States From the World Health Organization,” became operative on completion of the one-year-notice condition imposed by the U.S. reservation in the Joint Resolution providing for membership and participation by the United States in the World Health Organization, Pub. L. 80-643, 62 Stat. 441 (1948), which reserves the right of withdrawal “on a one-year notice” and conditions withdrawal on payment of financial obligations to the Organization through the year in which notice expires.¹² The Secretary of State’s diplomatic note to the United Nations Secretary-General as depository of the WHO Constitution, delivered on or about 22 January 2025, commenced the one-year notice period.³ The withdrawal terminates U.S. membership in WHO under Chapter III, Articles 3-8 of the WHO Constitution and U.S. voting rights and seat at the World Health Assembly under Chapter V, Articles 18-23.⁴ U.S. obligations under the International Health Regulations (2005), adopted by World Health Assembly Resolution WHA58.3 on 23 May 2005 and entered into force 15 June 2007, are independent of WHO membership: the IHR binds States Parties under Article 22 of the WHO Constitution (as regulations adopted by the Assembly that enter into force for Members that do not reject or reserve) and continue to impose surveillance (Article 5), notification (Article 6) and information-sharing during unexpected or unusual public-health events (Article 7) duties on the United States as a State Party.⁵

1. The one-year-notice condition originates from the U.S. reservation attached on accession in 1948. The WHO Constitution itself contains no general withdrawal clause; the one-year notice and the dues-payment requirement derive from the U.S. Joint Resolution of accession, which reserved to the United States “the right to withdraw from the said Organization on a one year’s notice” subject to payment of financial obligations to the Organization.² U.S. assessed contributions for the 2024-25 biennium, totalling approximately $264 million per the WHO programme-budget contributors schedule, and the pro-rated portion of the 2026-27 biennium assessment through the 22 January 2026 effective date are the operative dues obligations.⁶ The withdrawal is accordingly a completed instrument as of 22 January 2026 without further executive or congressional action; restoration of membership would proceed through (i) congressional authorisation and appropriation under Pub. L. 80-643 § 2 for assessed-contributions funding and (ii) deposit of a new instrument of acceptance with the UN Secretary-General as depository under WHO Constitution Articles 4 and 79, with the open question whether World Health Assembly admission action would be required for a former member that has withdrawn.⁷

2. Operational consequences of the effective withdrawal attach to (a) U.S. participation at the World Health Assembly — the United States cannot participate in WHA decisions on the WHO programme budget under WHO Constitution Article 18(f) (Assembly functions) and Article 55 (Director-General submission); on the appointment of the Director-General under Article 31; or on amendments to the WHO Constitution under Article 73; (b) U.S. nationals serving in WHO senior posts (Director-General’s office, Regional Directors, Professional-grade staff in Geneva and the country offices) — recall and reassignment was directed by EO 14155 in January 2025 and is administered through the regular interagency detail process under Title 22 detail authorities; (c) U.S. access to WHO technical-cooperation programmes including the Global Polio Eradication Initiative, GOARN (a network of institutions coordinated by WHO for outbreak response) and the Pandemic Influenza Preparedness Framework — access for non-member states is administered case-by-case under bilateral arrangements; and (d) data flows under the Global Influenza Surveillance and Response System, which operate under standard material transfer agreements that bind participating laboratories independent of WHO membership.⁸⁹¹⁰¹¹

3. The Pan American Health Organization, whose lineage runs from the Pan American Sanitary Bureau (1902), the Pan American Sanitary Code adopted at Havana on 14 November 1924, and the Pan American Sanitary Organization Constitution of 1947, is a separate international organisation operating as the WHO Regional Office for the Americas under a 1949 agreement concluded under WHO Constitution Article 54 (integration of regional organisations) rather than Article 47 (establishment of Regional Committees). The United States remains a member of PAHO under the 1924 Sanitary Code and successor instruments notwithstanding the WHO withdrawal; PAHO continues to administer technical cooperation, vaccine procurement through the PAHO Revolving Fund for Access to Vaccines and outbreak response in the Americas region with U.S. participation under PAHO governance independent of WHO membership.¹²¹³

4. The 79th World Health Assembly, scheduled in the WHO Governing Bodies calendar for 18-23 May 2026 in Geneva, will be the first WHA session at which the United States is not a member state since 1948. The WHO Pandemic Agreement adopted by the 78th WHA in May 2025 under WHO Constitution Article 19 (authority of the Assembly to “adopt conventions or agreements with respect to any matter within the competence of the Organization”) opens for signature and ratification on the date specified in the Agreement; the United States is not a Party to the Pandemic Agreement and is not subject to its information-sharing, capacity-building or pathogen-access provisions.¹⁴ The 80th WHA in May 2027 will be the first to operate without a U.S. assessed contribution.