Global Health Governance

NPR reports that the United States is days away from President Trump’s attempted withdrawal from the World Health Organization, with a one‑year notice period expiring Jan. 22, 2026, while the administration openly refuses to pay roughly $278 million in assessed dues for 2024–2025 that WHO says are a legal condition of leaving. WHO’s principal legal officer Steven Solomon notes that the WHO constitution has no general exit clause and that only the U.S., under its 1948 accession, reserved a right to withdraw—provided it gives a year’s notice and pays what it owes. Georgetown global health law expert Lawrence Gostin calls quitting without paying 'unlawful' under the U.S.’s own terms, but concedes there is no obvious enforcement mechanism to stop Trump absent litigation or congressional intervention. The State Department dismisses WHO legal arguments as irrelevant and says the U.S. will not send more money, framing WHO opinions as 'meaningless' and blaming the agency for alleged COVID‑era failures in China. The showdown sets up an unprecedented standoff between Washington and a UN specialized agency over treaty‑style obligations, with major implications for U.S. access to WHO‑run surveillance, emergency alerts and scientific networks during future outbreaks.