Argentina will pull out of the World Health Organization, President Javier Milei’s office said on Wednesday, following in the footsteps of the United States which announced its exit from the UN agency last month.
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Milei’s decision was based on “deep differences regarding health management especially during the [Covid-19] pandemic”, spokesman Manuel Adorni told reporters, adding Argentina would not “allow an international body to interfere in our sovereignty.”
The measure also gave Argentina “greater flexibility to implement policies adapted to the context” locally, while ensuring “greater availability of resources”, he said.
Self-declared “anarcho-capitalist” Milei is an avowed fan of US President Donald Trump, who signed an order within hours of his January 20 inauguration for the United States to withdraw from the WHO, which he has also criticised for its handling of the pandemic.
Washington was the biggest contributor to the Geneva-based organisation, which Trump claimed had “ripped us off”, and the US withdrawal could leave global health initiatives short of funding.
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