On the second day after the United States withdrew from the World Health Organization (WHO), California became the first American state to join the WHO’s Global Outbreak Alert and Response Network.
Governor Gavin Newsom, a Democrat, announced on Friday that California has established a partnership with the WHO’s Global Outbreak Alert and Response Network. Newsom, who confirmed in October that he is considering running for president in 2028, made this announcement following a meeting with WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus at the World Economic Forum in Switzerland.
In a statement, Newsom criticized the Trump administration’s decision to withdraw from the WHO, calling it reckless and harmful to all Californians and Americans. He stated, “California will not stand idly by in the face of the chaos caused by this decision. We will continue to promote partnerships globally and remain at the forefront of public health preparedness, including by becoming the only state member of the WHO Global Outbreak Alert and Response Network.”
The announcement came just one day after the official withdrawal of the U.S. from the WHO. As a founding member of the WHO, the U.S. had been a member for nearly eighty years. The State Department stated last week that even after the U.S. exits the WHO, it will continue to cooperate in public health fields.
Looking ahead, the U.S. government plans to collaborate directly with other countries, the private sector, NGOs, and religious groups through existing and new partnerships, maintaining its global public health leadership. The U.S.-led actions will prioritize emergency response, biosecurity coordination, and health innovation, under the principle of “America First,” while also bringing tangible benefits to global partners.
According to the Health Department, all funding from the U.S. to the WHO has been completely terminated, including approximately $1.11 billion in “assessed contributions” and $570 million in “voluntary contributions” annually.
The U.S. has historically been the largest financial supporter of the WHO, contributing about 18% of the organization’s funds. The U.S. withdrawal has triggered a budget crisis for the WHO, leading to a reduction of half of its management team and overall budget cuts. The WHO is also expected to cut about a quarter of its staff by the middle of this year.
President Trump has long criticized the WHO’s response during the pandemic and had been advocating for the U.S. to withdraw since his first term. The Trump administration officially completed the withdrawal process last week.
Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and Health Secretary Robert Kennedy issued a joint statement on the 22nd, saying, “We are reclaiming our flag for those Americans who passed away alone in nursing homes, small businesses destroyed by the restrictive measures orchestrated by the WHO, and American lives shattered by the organization’s inaction. Our withdrawal is for them.”
After the U.S. announced its withdrawal from the WHO, the organization refused to return the U.S. flag.