US withdrawal from WHO: Can the EU fill the gap in global health leadership?!
If the United States withdraws from the WHO and the Pandemic Treaty negotiations, the global health landscape loses its leading financial contributor, a key source of public health expertise, and an influential voice in shaping global health policies.
How will this change affect the European Union and what is the way forward in the new race for influence? The WHO could adjust to the loss of US government support, Director-General Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said at a press conference in December, but warned that the impact would be significant.
Since most contributions are tied to specific initiatives, including disease prevention, workforce training and public health campaigns, the US withdrawal would deal a substantial blow to the organisation’s future projects. “This decision sends a clear signal to the international community that global health is no longer a priority for the United States,” said Anniek de Ruijter, a professor of health law and policy at the University of Amsterdam.
The United States has long been a cornerstone of the organization's support, providing $1.284 billion in funding between 2022 and 2023. This exit will require other powers to fill the void left by the US government. The EU or China, which currently runs the UN Food and Agriculture Organization, are likely to be in the running.
When the previous Trump administration cut funding and began to withdraw from the WHO, Germany stepped in and significantly increased its contribution to fill the large funding gap left by the US. At that time, Germany stepped in and significantly increased its contribution to the WHO to address the large funding gap left by the US.
"However, in the current political and economic climate, it is less clear whether EU member states will be able to fill the gap this time," said Elizabeth Kuiper, Associate Director at the European Policy Center. But losing US support is not just a financial problem, it would mean losing hundreds of staff and access to vital health information, and that would affect both sides.
German Health Minister Karl Lauterbach wrote in X that the US withdrawal means the loss of 20% of funds, but also highly qualified specialists from America. "Especially children in need, for example in Gaza, are once again the first victims," he wrote. The US Centers for Disease Control (CDC) alone currently has more than 1,700 public health experts in over 60 countries.
EU-WHO cooperation
A US withdrawal could also affect plans for future projects co-funded with the European Union, currently one of the WHO's largest voluntary donors and the fifth-largest contributor overall.
The EU and WHO are currently working together on several initiatives, such as a strategy to boost the nursing profession amid high staff shortages presented in September 2024, or an EU-wide survey on the mental health of healthcare professionals.
The European Union has already shown its intention to consolidate its influence on the global stage, expanded in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic and with discussions around the EU Global Health Strategy and the Pandemic Treaty. “This makes it even more urgent for the EU to rethink its current approach to partnerships and its ambition in global health,” Kuiper added.
Another major global health initiative that emerged from the COVID-19 pandemic was the proposal for a Pandemic Agreement, from which Donald Trump also wants to withdraw. Talks have been ongoing for the past three years, but with little progress made to date. After several delays, the new deadline for an agreement is May 2025.
The US was one of the main blockers of the negotiations, and Republican politicians strongly criticized the idea, arguing that an agreement would give too much power to the WHO during future public health emergencies. “Weakening the WHO could create a power vacuum in global health governance, potentially empowering other actors like the European Union,” de Ruijter said.
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