WASHINGTON: The United States under President Donald Trump has formally rejected recent amendments to the World Health Organization’s (WHO) International Health Regulations (IHR), citing concerns over national sovereignty and personal liberties.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. announced the decision on Friday, arguing that the changes, agreed to at last year’s World Health Assembly in Geneva, “risk unwarranted interference with our national sovereign right to make health policy.”
“We will put Americans first in all our actions and we will not tolerate international policies that infringe on Americans’ speech, privacy or personal liberties,” the two said in a joint statement. They also criticized the WHO for what they claimed was vulnerability to “political influence and censorship, most notably from China, during outbreaks.”
Trump began the process of withdrawing the United States from the WHO immediately upon taking office on January 20. Despite the ongoing withdrawal, the State Department stated that the IHR amendments would still have been legally binding had they not been rejected.
The amendments, approved by most member states last year, were designed to strengthen global cooperation in health emergencies. They include provisions for greater solidarity and equity, and call for a new expert body to assess the needs of developing countries during future pandemics.
WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus expressed disappointment over the U.S. decision. “We regret the U.S. decision to reject the amendments,” he said in a statement on X (formerly Twitter), emphasizing that the changes “are clear about member states’ sovereignty” and that WHO has no power to mandate national measures such as lockdowns.
The move by the Trump administration has been welcomed by conservative activists and vaccine-skeptic groups, many of whom have lobbied against the amendments in countries like the UK and Australia.
The rejection also marks a reversal from the Biden administration’s stance. Then-Secretary of State Antony Blinken had previously endorsed the reforms as “a step forward in global health security.”
The WHO had initially aimed for a broader pandemic treaty, but those talks stalled. While most countries agreed to a separate treaty earlier this year, the United States did not participate as it was already disengaging from the organization.
Despite the withdrawal, WHO reiterated its commitment to working with all nations. “The WHO is impartial and works with all countries to improve people’s health,” said Tedros.
Member states had until Saturday to formally object to the IHR amendments. The U.S. remains one of the few high-profile rejections.
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