US Redirects Remaining Money Owed To WHO, Specifies Plans To Withdraw

The U.S. State Department on Thursday announced it would not pay the $62 million it owes the World Health Organization and would instead allocate the funds to other U.N. health projects.

In a press release, the State Department said that due to the WHO’s alleged failure to “serve an effective purpose and reach those in need” and demonstrate “independence from the Chinese Communist Party” the U.S. will not only continue its withdrawal from the organization but also not pay the remaining dues for 2020.

The State Department noted that the $62 million would go toward other U.N. health organizations, notably efforts to vaccinate children and monitor the spread of influenza.

The press release also said the U.S. would withdraw on July 6, 2021, and outlined the steps. The U.S. will also scale back its participation in meetings.

WHO member states are required to give a year’s warning if they pull out, which the U.S. gave in July. The Department of Health and Human Services will be bringing back their personnel currently serving under the WHO before the end of July 2021.

The U.S., however, won’t be cutting off all interaction with the agency. It will continue to participate in some projects and attend meetings on a “case-by-case basis.”

Alma Golden, assistant administrator for global health at the U.S. Agency for International Development, said that “exceptions reflect the few cases in which WHO has the unique capabilities that an alternate partner could not replicate at this time.” One such exception is polio eradication in Libya and Syria, which includes a "one-time disbursement" of $68 million.