{"id":1306,"date":"2026-01-24T11:22:36","date_gmt":"2026-01-24T11:22:36","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.brhrd.be\/?p=1306"},"modified":"2026-02-02T11:23:42","modified_gmt":"2026-02-02T11:23:42","slug":"us-withdrawal-from-who-risks-global-safety-agency-warns-in-detailed-rebuttal","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.brhrd.be\/?p=1306","title":{"rendered":"US Withdrawal From WHO \u2018Risks Global Safety\u2019, Agency Warns in Detailed Rebuttal"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>The <strong>World Health Organization<\/strong> (WHO) has issued a detailed public response expressing deep regret over the <strong>United States\u2019 decision to withdraw<\/strong> from the UN health agency, warning that the move will <strong>leave both the US and the global community less safe<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In a statement released on Saturday, WHO directly addressed and rejected claims made by the US administration that the agency had compromised its independence, acted politically, or disrespected US sovereignty.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The agency said the allegations are <strong>factually incorrect<\/strong>, stressing that it has always engaged with the United States <strong>\u201cin good faith, with full respect for its sovereignty.\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>WHO strongly denied claims that it pursued a politicised agenda driven by countries hostile to US interests, reaffirming that it is <strong>impartial, science-based, and committed to serving all Member States without fear or favour<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Defending WHO\u2019s COVID-19 response<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>A significant portion of the statement responds to accusations that WHO mishandled the COVID-19 pandemic or obstructed the timely sharing of information.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>WHO countered that it:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Acted rapidly and transparently<\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Shared all verified information as soon as it became available<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Issued guidance based on <strong>the best available scientific evidence<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>The agency clarified that while it <strong>recommended masks, vaccines, and physical distancing<\/strong>, it <strong>never mandated lockdowns, vaccines, or mask requirements<\/strong>, as such decisions fall under national authority.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Timeline of early pandemic actions<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>WHO detailed its early response to COVID-19:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>31 December 2019:<\/strong> After reports of \u201cpneumonia of unknown cause\u201d in Wuhan, China, WHO requested information from Chinese authorities and activated its emergency incident management system.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>11 January 2020:<\/strong> By the time China reported the first death, WHO had already alerted the world through formal channels, public briefings, and social media, convened global experts, and issued technical guidance to countries.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>30 January 2020:<\/strong> WHO declared COVID-19 a <strong>Public Health Emergency of International Concern (PHEIC)<\/strong>\u2014the highest level of global health alarm\u2014when there were <strong>fewer than 100 cases outside China and no reported deaths<\/strong>.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>During the early months of the crisis, the WHO Director-General repeatedly warned countries that <strong>\u201cthe window of opportunity is closing,\u201d<\/strong> calling COVID-19 <strong>\u201cpublic enemy number one.\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Learning and reform<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>WHO acknowledged that the pandemic prompted multiple independent reviews of the global response, including the agency\u2019s own performance. In response, WHO said it has:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Strengthened internal systems<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Supported countries to improve pandemic preparedness<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Enhanced surveillance, data-sharing, and emergency coordination mechanisms<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>The agency stressed that these systems have contributed to global safety <strong>before, during, and after<\/strong> the pandemic\u2014including for the United States.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Door remains open for US return<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Despite the withdrawal notice, WHO said it remains committed to cooperation and <strong>hopes the United States will re-engage in the future<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The agency highlighted the recent adoption of the <strong>WHO Pandemic Agreement<\/strong>, calling it a <strong>landmark international legal instrument<\/strong> designed to strengthen prevention, preparedness, and response to future global health threats.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>As a <strong>founding member<\/strong> of WHO, the United States has played a central role in some of the organisation\u2019s greatest achievements, including:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>The <strong>eradication of smallpox<\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Progress against <strong>polio, HIV, Ebola, influenza, tuberculosis, malaria<\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Efforts to combat <strong>antimicrobial resistance, food safety threats, and neglected tropical diseases<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>WHO\u2019s closing message<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>The statement concluded with a reaffirmation of WHO\u2019s core mission:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\">\n<p>\u201cWHO remains steadfastly committed to working with all countries to advance the highest attainable standard of health as a fundamental right for all people.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The World Health Organization (WHO) has issued a detailed public response expressing deep regret over the United States\u2019 decision to withdraw from the UN health agency, warning that the move will leave both the US and the global community less safe. In a statement released on Saturday, WHO directly addressed and rejected claims made by [&hellip;]\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":1307,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[68],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1306","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-topics"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.5 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>US Withdrawal From WHO \u2018Risks Global Safety\u2019, Agency Warns in Detailed Rebuttal - Brussels for Human Rights and development<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.brhrd.be\/?p=1306\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"US Withdrawal From WHO \u2018Risks Global Safety\u2019, Agency Warns in Detailed Rebuttal - Brussels for Human Rights and development\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"The World Health Organization (WHO) has issued a detailed public response expressing deep regret over the United States\u2019 decision to withdraw from the UN health agency, warning that the move will leave both the US and the global community less safe. In a statement released on Saturday, WHO directly addressed and rejected claims made by [&hellip;]\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.brhrd.be\/?p=1306\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Brussels for Human Rights and development\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2026-01-24T11:22:36+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2026-02-02T11:23:42+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/www.brhrd.be\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/fpdXnh3MEF9bM_2oS5SqY4BxgbbMujuZ2dIBwJ6AAnbu5rDtfOaTGoGLBdMdyXYGL4d43h9UMtnHE93b8YQv2np8hheHzkZJUGkjweA7_Ms.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"2048\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"1344\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"mahmoud gaber\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"mahmoud gaber\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"3 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.brhrd.be\\\/?p=1306#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.brhrd.be\\\/?p=1306\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"mahmoud gaber\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.brhrd.be\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/8c38a201c1c41555650316bd830979cd\"},\"headline\":\"US Withdrawal From WHO \u2018Risks Global Safety\u2019, Agency Warns in Detailed Rebuttal\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-01-24T11:22:36+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2026-02-02T11:23:42+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.brhrd.be\\\/?p=1306\"},\"wordCount\":559,\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.brhrd.be\\\/?p=1306#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.brhrd.be\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/02\\\/fpdXnh3MEF9bM_2oS5SqY4BxgbbMujuZ2dIBwJ6AAnbu5rDtfOaTGoGLBdMdyXYGL4d43h9UMtnHE93b8YQv2np8hheHzkZJUGkjweA7_Ms.jpg\",\"articleSection\":[\"Topics\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.brhrd.be\\\/?p=1306\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.brhrd.be\\\/?p=1306\",\"name\":\"US Withdrawal From WHO \u2018Risks Global Safety\u2019, Agency Warns in Detailed Rebuttal - Brussels for Human Rights and development\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.brhrd.be\\\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.brhrd.be\\\/?p=1306#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.brhrd.be\\\/?p=1306#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.brhrd.be\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/02\\\/fpdXnh3MEF9bM_2oS5SqY4BxgbbMujuZ2dIBwJ6AAnbu5rDtfOaTGoGLBdMdyXYGL4d43h9UMtnHE93b8YQv2np8hheHzkZJUGkjweA7_Ms.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-01-24T11:22:36+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2026-02-02T11:23:42+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.brhrd.be\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/8c38a201c1c41555650316bd830979cd\"},\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.brhrd.be\\\/?p=1306#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/www.brhrd.be\\\/?p=1306\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.brhrd.be\\\/?p=1306#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.brhrd.be\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/02\\\/fpdXnh3MEF9bM_2oS5SqY4BxgbbMujuZ2dIBwJ6AAnbu5rDtfOaTGoGLBdMdyXYGL4d43h9UMtnHE93b8YQv2np8hheHzkZJUGkjweA7_Ms.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.brhrd.be\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/02\\\/fpdXnh3MEF9bM_2oS5SqY4BxgbbMujuZ2dIBwJ6AAnbu5rDtfOaTGoGLBdMdyXYGL4d43h9UMtnHE93b8YQv2np8hheHzkZJUGkjweA7_Ms.jpg\",\"width\":2048,\"height\":1344},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.brhrd.be\\\/?p=1306#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.brhrd.be\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"US Withdrawal From WHO \u2018Risks Global Safety\u2019, Agency Warns in Detailed Rebuttal\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.brhrd.be\\\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.brhrd.be\\\/\",\"name\":\"Brussels for Human Rights and development\",\"description\":\"Human Rights &amp; development\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.brhrd.be\\\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.brhrd.be\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/8c38a201c1c41555650316bd830979cd\",\"name\":\"mahmoud gaber\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.brhrd.be\\\/?author=2\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"US Withdrawal From WHO \u2018Risks Global Safety\u2019, Agency Warns in Detailed Rebuttal - Brussels for Human Rights and development","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/www.brhrd.be\/?p=1306","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"US Withdrawal From WHO \u2018Risks Global Safety\u2019, Agency Warns in Detailed Rebuttal - Brussels for Human Rights and development","og_description":"The World Health Organization (WHO) has issued a detailed public response expressing deep regret over the United States\u2019 decision to withdraw from the UN health agency, warning that the move will leave both the US and the global community less safe. In a statement released on Saturday, WHO directly addressed and rejected claims made by [&hellip;]","og_url":"https:\/\/www.brhrd.be\/?p=1306","og_site_name":"Brussels for Human Rights and development","article_published_time":"2026-01-24T11:22:36+00:00","article_modified_time":"2026-02-02T11:23:42+00:00","og_image":[{"width":2048,"height":1344,"url":"https:\/\/www.brhrd.be\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/fpdXnh3MEF9bM_2oS5SqY4BxgbbMujuZ2dIBwJ6AAnbu5rDtfOaTGoGLBdMdyXYGL4d43h9UMtnHE93b8YQv2np8hheHzkZJUGkjweA7_Ms.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"mahmoud gaber","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"mahmoud gaber","Est. reading time":"3 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/www.brhrd.be\/?p=1306#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.brhrd.be\/?p=1306"},"author":{"name":"mahmoud gaber","@id":"https:\/\/www.brhrd.be\/#\/schema\/person\/8c38a201c1c41555650316bd830979cd"},"headline":"US Withdrawal From WHO \u2018Risks Global Safety\u2019, Agency Warns in Detailed Rebuttal","datePublished":"2026-01-24T11:22:36+00:00","dateModified":"2026-02-02T11:23:42+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.brhrd.be\/?p=1306"},"wordCount":559,"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.brhrd.be\/?p=1306#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/www.brhrd.be\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/fpdXnh3MEF9bM_2oS5SqY4BxgbbMujuZ2dIBwJ6AAnbu5rDtfOaTGoGLBdMdyXYGL4d43h9UMtnHE93b8YQv2np8hheHzkZJUGkjweA7_Ms.jpg","articleSection":["Topics"],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/www.brhrd.be\/?p=1306","url":"https:\/\/www.brhrd.be\/?p=1306","name":"US Withdrawal From WHO \u2018Risks Global Safety\u2019, Agency Warns in Detailed Rebuttal - Brussels for Human Rights and development","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.brhrd.be\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.brhrd.be\/?p=1306#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.brhrd.be\/?p=1306#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/www.brhrd.be\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/fpdXnh3MEF9bM_2oS5SqY4BxgbbMujuZ2dIBwJ6AAnbu5rDtfOaTGoGLBdMdyXYGL4d43h9UMtnHE93b8YQv2np8hheHzkZJUGkjweA7_Ms.jpg","datePublished":"2026-01-24T11:22:36+00:00","dateModified":"2026-02-02T11:23:42+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.brhrd.be\/#\/schema\/person\/8c38a201c1c41555650316bd830979cd"},"breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.brhrd.be\/?p=1306#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/www.brhrd.be\/?p=1306"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.brhrd.be\/?p=1306#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/www.brhrd.be\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/fpdXnh3MEF9bM_2oS5SqY4BxgbbMujuZ2dIBwJ6AAnbu5rDtfOaTGoGLBdMdyXYGL4d43h9UMtnHE93b8YQv2np8hheHzkZJUGkjweA7_Ms.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.brhrd.be\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/fpdXnh3MEF9bM_2oS5SqY4BxgbbMujuZ2dIBwJ6AAnbu5rDtfOaTGoGLBdMdyXYGL4d43h9UMtnHE93b8YQv2np8hheHzkZJUGkjweA7_Ms.jpg","width":2048,"height":1344},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/www.brhrd.be\/?p=1306#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/www.brhrd.be\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"US Withdrawal From WHO \u2018Risks Global Safety\u2019, Agency Warns in Detailed Rebuttal"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/www.brhrd.be\/#website","url":"https:\/\/www.brhrd.be\/","name":"Brussels for Human Rights and development","description":"Human Rights &amp; development","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/www.brhrd.be\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/www.brhrd.be\/#\/schema\/person\/8c38a201c1c41555650316bd830979cd","name":"mahmoud gaber","url":"https:\/\/www.brhrd.be\/?author=2"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.brhrd.be\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1306","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.brhrd.be\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.brhrd.be\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.brhrd.be\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.brhrd.be\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=1306"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.brhrd.be\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1306\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1308,"href":"https:\/\/www.brhrd.be\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1306\/revisions\/1308"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.brhrd.be\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/1307"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.brhrd.be\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=1306"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.brhrd.be\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=1306"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.brhrd.be\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=1306"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}