For decades, the United States had significant power in determining the direction of global health policies and programs. President Donald Trump issued three executives about him the first day in the office This could mark the end of that era, said health policy experts.

Trump order to withdraw The World Health Organization means that the US is unlikely to be at the table in February when the SZO Executive Board meets next time. Who is formed by its members: 194 countries who set health priorities and make agreements on how to share key information, treatments and vaccines during international extraordinary situations. With the disappearance of the United States, she would leave power to others.

“It’s just stupid,” said Kenneth Bernard, a visiting associate at the Hoover Institute at Stanford University, who was the highest authority official during the George W. Bush administration. “The withdrawal from WHO leaves a void in the global health leadership that China will fill,” he said, “which is obviously not in the best interests of America.”

Executive command to withdraw from WHO and re-examine American Access to international assistance They quote WHO’s “bad treatment with pandemia of the Covid-19” and say that American help serves “destabilization of world peace.” In action, they reflect priorities established in Project 2025“Mandate for the lead,” a Draft conservative policy from Heritage Foundation.

A 922-page report is said to be “ready to” withdraw from the WHO, citing their “obvious failure”, and an audit of international aid in states department is advised. “The Biden administration deformed the agency, treating it as a global platform for implementing a political and cultural program that causes divisions abroad and promotes abortion, climate extremism, gender radicalism and interventions against perceived systematic racism,” it is said.

As one of the world’s largest financiers of global health-through international and national agencies, such as WHO and US International Development Agency-US step back can limit efforts to provide health care that saves lives and fights against deadly epidemics, especially in lower countries . income countries without funds to do so.

“This does not only do Americans less sure, but also does the citizens of other nations less sure,” said Tom Bollyky, director of global health care at the Council for Foreign Relations.

“The US cannot be fenced off from transnational health threats,” he added, referring to the rules that block passengers from countries with the outbreak of the disease. “Most evidence of travel prohibition It indicates that they provide a false sense of security and distract nations from taking action that they have to take within their country to ensure their safety. “

Less than 1%

Technically speaking, countries cannot withdraw from WHO a year after the official notification. But Trump’s executive command quotes his notice of dismissal of 2020. If a congress or public pushes backThe administration may claim that it has been over a year.

Trump has suspended the funds in 2020, which is a measure for which no Congress approval. US contributions to the agency reached the lowest level $ 163 million During that first year of Covid, lagging behind the German and the Gates Foundation. Former President Joe Biden has renewed the US membership and payments. In 2023. The country gave SZO $ 481 million.

As for 2024, Suerie Moon, a global health center at the G gradate Institute Geneva, said Biden’s administration paid for I owe two years For the early period 2024-25, which will cover some of this year’s payments.

The “unfair difficult payments” are listed in the executive command as the reason for the withdrawal of WHO. The duties of countries are the percentage of their gross domestic product, which means that as the richest nation of the world, the United States has generally paid more than other countries.

Funds for WHO represent about 4% of American Global Health Budgetwhich in turn is less than 0.1% of US federal expenses each year. With about $ 3.4 billion, the entire SPO budget is roughly a third of the budget of centers for the control and prevention of the disease, which in 2023 received $ 9.3 billion in fundamental funding.

The funds of WHO Support programs for prevention and treatment of polio, tuberculosis, HIV, malaria, measles and other diseases, especially in countries that have problems with health care in the country. The organization also responds to emergency health situations in conflict zones, including places where the US government does not work – in parts of Gaza, Sudan and the Democratic Republic of Congo, among others.

In January 2020. Who warned the world of the danger of Covid Outskirts of advertising the greatest alarm: public health urgency of international importance. Over the next two years, she checked diagnostic tests and potential drugs for the covid-19, regularly reported to the public and advised countries on steps to protect citizens.

Experts cited the wrong steps in the agency but show numerous analyzes that internal problems cause the United States to have one of the world’s largest mortality rates from Covid. “All nations received a warning of the SZO about public health danger of international importance on January 30,” Bollyky said. “South Korea, Taiwan and others have responded aggressively – now they aren’t.”

“It’s a red herring”

Nevertheless, Trump’s executive decree accuses WHO for “bad treatment” with pandemic and “failure to adopt urgently needed reforms”. In fact, WHO has made some changes through bureaucratic processes that include the contribution of the countries to it. Last year, for example, an organization adopted several amendments with their regulations on emergency health cases. This includes provisions on transparent reporting and coordinated financing.

“If Trump’s administration was trying to force certain reforms for a year and then be frustrated, I might find the reform line credible,” Moon said. “But for me it’s a red herring.”

“I don’t believe in explanations,” Bernard said. “This is not a matter of money,” he added. “There is no reason to withdraw from WHO that makes sense, including our problems with China.”

Trump accused Who of being an open-ended origin of Covid in the failure of China, which he called in the Executive Regulation “inappropriate political influence.”

“The World Health Organization shamefully hid the traces of the communist party of China at every turn,” Trump said in Video record Posted on social networks 2023.

SZO is repeatedly called for transparency from China. The Agency has no legal authority to force China or any other country to do what he says. This fact also rejects Trump’s warnings that the pandemic agreement that is negotiated at WHO is touched by American sovereignty. Instead, the goal of the agreement is to determine how countries can work better in the next pandemia.

Trump’s Executive Command calls the US to “interrupt the negotiations” on the pandemic agreement. This means that the pharmaceutical industry could lose one of its most loyal veterans as the discussions are progressing.

In the former negotiations so far, the United States and the European Union have stopped with lobbying from Pharmaceutical industry respect strict patent rights to medicines and vaccines. Have opposing efforts From the countries with medium income in Asia, Africa and Latin America to include licensing contracts that would allow more companies to produce medicines and vaccines when supplies are crisis in crisis. AND A study published in Nature Medicine It is estimated that more than a million lives would have been saved if the covid vaccines were available around the 2021 world.

“Once he is absent now – in good and evil – there will be less pressure on certain positions,” Moon said. “In negotiations on pandemic agreement, we could see the weakening of opposition to intellectual ownership approaches that are more oriented to public health.”

“This is a moment of geopolitical change because now makes itself less relevant,” said Ayoada Alakii, president of the Alliance for the delivery of the African Union vaccine. Alakija said that countries in Asia and Africa with development economies could now invest more money in WHO, to change politics and set up programs that have previously opposed the US and European countries that fight the war in Ukraine. “The power changes,” Alakii said. “Maybe this will give us a more equal and righteous world in the long run.”

Project echoes 2025

However, in the near future, WHO is unlikely to fully compensate for his losses, Moon said. The US funds usually make up about 15% of the budget. Along with Trump’s Executive order which pauses international aid to 90 days, the lack of money can prevent many people from obtaining saving treatments for HIV, malaria and other diseases.

Another loss is a scientific cooperation that takes place via WHO and about 70 centers, hosted by US institutions such as Columbia University and Johns Hopkins University. Through these networks, scientists share findings despite political conflicts among countries.

AND the third executive order He ordered the Secretary of State to ensure that the Ministry’s programs “are in accordance with the FIRST POLICY OF AMERICA FIRST”. This is followed by a command of international assistance while checking “consistency with the external policy of the United States”. This command states that American help served “destabilization of world peace by promoting ideas in foreign countries that are directly opposite to harmonious and stable relations.”

These and executive regulations on climate policy are in accordance with policy programs Expressed by project 2025. Although Trump and his new administration have distanced themselves from the Heritage Foundation Manual, CBS news reviewed Working history of 38 named primary authors and revealed that at least 28 of them worked in the first Trump administration.

One of his main architects was Russell vouightwho, during the first Trump, served as director of the Office for Management and Budget and was re -nominated for it. Multiple project associates 2025 are from American First Legal Foundation, a group led by Trump’s advisor Stephen Miller and who has filed appeals against “awakened corporations”.

The 2025 project recommends a reduction in international assistance for programs and organizations aimed at climate change and the care of reproductive health, and directing resources according to “strengthening the foundations of the free market”, reducing taxes and deregulation of business as a path to economic stability.

Several experts have said that the executive commands seem to relate to ideological rather than strategic positioning.

The White House did not answer questions about its executive commands on global health. As for the executive command that says US help serves “destabilization of world peace,” a spokesman for USAID wrote in an email: “We are referring you to the White House.”

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