President Javier Milei echoed Trumpian criticisms of the UN company, blaming it for financial shortfalls through the COVID-19 pandemic.
Argentina has declared it’s going to withdraw from the World Well being Group, additional imperilling a world company charged with coordinating public well being responses.
The announcement on Wednesday echoes a comparable transfer final month from the US.
Far-right administrations at the moment govern each nations, and President Javier Milei of Argentina has an in depth relationship along with his US counterpart, Donald Trump.
The 2 leaders have every criticised the World Well being Group for its dealing with of the COVID-19 pandemic.
A United Nations company, the organisation can not mandate governments to observe its steering, however it does provide analysis and suggestions for a way nations may collaborate to deal with public well being crises like pandemics.
Nonetheless, on Wednesday, Milei blamed the World Well being Group for its recommendation about bodily distancing through the COVID-19 pandemic.
“That’s the reason now we have determined to depart such a nefarious group that was the executing arm of what was the best experiment in social management in historical past,” Milei wrote on social media.
He punctuated his message with a marketing campaign slogan: “LONG LIVE FREEDOM, DAMN IT.”
Milei was elected in 2023 amid spiralling inflation in Argentina. A darkish horse within the race, he ran on a platform of slashing authorities bills along with his signature “chainsaw” method.
He has described himself as an “anarcho-capitalist”. However whereas month-to-month inflation has stabilised underneath his management, Argentina’s poverty fee has climbed to upwards of fifty p.c.
Critics have blasted his administration for reducing key public providers over the previous yr which may have assist deal with this disaster, together with funding for soup kitchens that present meals for the poor.
Argentina contributes roughly $8.257m to the World Well being Group, as of 2024.
In an official authorities information launch, nevertheless, Milei’s administration accused the organisation of heightening Argentina’s financial disaster.
“Quarantines brought about one of many best financial catastrophes in world historical past,” the official assertion learn.
It alleged that self-distancing fashions ran afoul of the Rome Statute of 1998, which establishes the Worldwide Legal Courtroom’s jurisdiction over key worldwide crimes, like genocide and crimes in opposition to humanity.
The WHO’s steering about self-isolating, Milei’s authorities argued, was itself against the law in opposition to humanity.
“In our nation, the WHO supported a authorities that left kids out of faculty, lots of of 1000’s of employees with out earnings, led companies and SMEs [small- and medium-sized enterprises] to chapter, and nonetheless value us 130,000 lives,” its assertion mentioned.
Milei’s authorities additionally questioned the integrity of the World Well being Group’s analysis.
“As we speak the proof signifies that the WHO’s recipes don’t work as a result of they’re the results of political affect, not based mostly on science,” the assertion mentioned.
The heated rhetoric was a mirrored image of Trump’s comparable order on January 20.
Hours after he was inaugurated right into a second time period as US president, Trump signed an govt order rescinding US funding from the World Well being Group, alleging a “mishandling of the COVID-19 pandemic”.
Trump additionally accused the company of an “incapability to reveal independence from the inappropriate political affect of WHO member states”.
The US is the only largest contributor to the World Well being Group’s funds, accountable for 14.4 p.c of its funds or near $1bn. Its withdrawal is predicted to trigger cost-cutting — and potential rollbacks of providers.
