The African Union (AU) has disapproved of the United States’ decision to withdraw from the World Health Organization (WHO), a move President Donald Trump announced on his first day in office.
The decision has drawn criticism from health experts and the AU, one of WHO’s key beneficiaries.
In a statement, Moussa Faki Mahamat, Chairperson of the AU Commission, has he “was dismayed” by Trump’s decision. He urged the US to reconsider its withdrawal, given that it is the organization’s top funder and one of its founding members in 1948.
“Today, now more than ever, the world depends on WHO to carry out its mandate to ensure global public health security as a shared common good,” Mahamat said.
The Chairperson therefore hopes the US government will reconsider its decision to withdraw from this key global Organization of which it is a founding member,” he added.
US as Key WHO Contributor
The United States has been the largest donor to the WHO, contributing approximately $1.3 billion in voluntary funding between 2022 and 2023, according to Time Magazine.
This is in addition to annual membership dues ranging between $100 and $122 million over the past decade.
US funding has played a critical role in supporting the WHO’s efforts to combat pandemics such as COVID-19, and long-standing epidemics like malaria, cholera, and smallpox.
These efforts have been especially beneficial to countries with fragile healthcare systems, many of which are in Africa.
The AU Chairperson said US funding to the WHO has been “crucial in shaping global WHO instruments and norms on public health security and wellbeing over the past seven decades”.
Global and Local Implications
Health experts warn that the US withdrawal from the WHO could undermine global efforts to control infectious diseases.
These diseases could eventually affect the United States itself.
“Funding the WHO is about investing in our own health here in this country,” said Dr. Michael Osterholm, director of the Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy at the University of Minnesota.
The WHO’s ability to prevent and manage disease outbreaks in low-income countries indirectly protects wealthier nations by reducing the risk of cross-border infections.
A Wake-Up Call for Africa
The US withdrawal also highlights the significant dependence of African countries on the WHO for funding healthcare initiatives.
The WHO has largely supported the fight against diseases like malaria, cholera, yellow fever, smallpox, and Ebola in Africa through institutions like the Africa CDC.
Observers see this as a wake-up call for African nations to become more self-reliant in addressing healthcare challenges.
Africa’s inability to fund its own healthcare systems has left it vulnerable to epidemics, relying heavily on Western-funded institutions like the WHO.
Critics argue that institutions like the WHO prioritize the interests of their donors over those of recipient nations.
This was seen in the WHO’s inattention to efforts by Africans to produce a vaccine for COVID-19.
The fight against Malaria, one of the highest killer diseases in Africa, has dragged on for years probably because the disease doesn’t affect wealthy nations.
