Argentina has formally completed its withdrawal from the World Health Organization (WHO), aligning with the United States in a significant move that severs ties with the global health body. Argentine Foreign Minister Pablo Quirno announced the completion on Tuesday, marking exactly one year since the nation submitted its formal notification.
The decision, initially announced in February last year and formally communicated in March 2023, reflects the libertarian and right-wing stance of President Javier Milei’s administration. Milei has been a vocal critic of the WHO’s COVID-19 pandemic management, labeling the organization a ‘shadowy institution’ that conducted ‘the greatest experiment in social control in history.’ This criticism specifically targeted global measures including mask mandates, social distancing protocols, and vaccination campaigns—policies frequently criticized by right-wing movements worldwide.
While the WHO primarily functions as an advisory body without enforcing binding policies on member states, the withdrawal undermines international public health collaboration. WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus had previously warned of such risks when the U.S. announced its departure, stating that withdrawal reasons were ‘misguided’ and would make both the departing nation and the world less safe.
Despite exiting the WHO, Foreign Minister Quirno emphasized Argentina’s continued commitment to international health cooperation through bilateral agreements and regional forums. This approach, he noted, allows Argentina to maintain full sovereignty and policy autonomy while engaging in global health initiatives.
The move reduces WHO membership to 194 nations, with Argentina following the precedent set by the United States earlier this year. The development signals growing tensions between global health governance and national sovereignty advocates in the post-pandemic era.