BUENOS AIRES: Argentina formally withdrew from the World Health Organisation on Tuesday, the foreign minister said, following in the path of the United States which took the same step earlier this year.

The government of President Javier Milei, a close ally of President Donald Trump, had announced its intention to leave the UN health body a year ago, criticising the WHO’s handling of the Covid-19 pandemic.

The Foreign Ministry said Argentina has now completed the withdrawal process within the timeframe stipulated by international treaties.

“Argentina will continue to promote international cooperation in health through bilateral agreements and regional forums, while fully preserving its sovereignty and its capacity to make decisions regarding health policies,” Foreign Minister Pablo Quirno said on X.

Last year, Argentina had declared that “the WHO’s recommendations are ineffective because they are not based on science, but on political interests.”

Published in Dawn, March 18th, 2026