Argentina has announced it will pull out of the World Health Organization (WHO), mirroring a similar move by US President Donald Trump last month.
“President (Javier) Milei instructed (foreign minister) Gerardo Werthein to withdraw Argentina’s participation in the World Health Organization,” presidential spokesperson Manuel Adorni said at a news conference on Wednesday.
“We Argentinians will not allow an international organization to intervene in our sovereignty, much less in our health,” he added.
Trump, whom Milei considers an ideological ally, announced on his first day back in the White House in January he is withdrawing the United States from the WHO, drawing criticism from public health experts.
Adorni said Argentina’s decision was based on “profound differences regarding… health management, especially during the pandemic that… led us to the longest lockdown in human history and a lack of independence in the face of the political influence of some states.”
A statement later released from Argentina’s presidential office accused WHO of causing economic damage during the Covid-19 pandemic by “[promoting] endless quarantines.”
“It is urgent to rethink from the international community why supranational organizations exist, funded by all, that do not meet the objectives for which they were created, engage in international politics, and seek to impose themselves above member countries,” the statement read.
Credit: cnn.com
