US owes WHO $260mn in ‘messy divorce’ – media

President Donald Trump ordered the withdrawal from the global health body last year, accusing it of mismanagement and political bias

The US has completed its withdrawal from the World Health Organization (WHO), but still owes the agency roughly $260 million in outstanding membership fees, according to media reports citing WHO calculations.

Washington had long been one of WHO’s largest contributors, but US President Donald Trump grew openly hostile toward the organization after the Covid-19 pandemic, accusing it of mismanagement and political bias. He first initiated US withdrawal in 2020, but the move was reversed by Joe Biden in 2021. Last year – on his first day back in office – Trump signed a new executive order pulling the US out of the body.

Under a 1948 resolution authorizing US membership in WHO, Washington must give one year’s notice and settle outstanding obligations before withdrawal. While the notice requirement has been met, formally ending US membership this week, WHO said in January last year that Washington had failed to pay dues for the 2024-2025 budget cycle, totaling about $260.6 million. Bloomberg and CNN reported Thursday that the fees remain unpaid after Trump’s order halted all US transactions with the body.

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Senior US officials told Bloomberg there is no statutory requirement to clear the debt before withdrawal is finalized, and that WHO lacks tools to enforce it, although legal experts have disputed this.

“As a matter of law, it is very clear that the US cannot officially withdraw from WHO unless it pays its outstanding financial obligations. But WHO has no power to force the US to pay,” Lawrence Gostin, head of Georgetown University’s WHO-collaborating center on global health law, told CNN. “It’s a very messy divorce.”

Reports say WHO could pass a resolution blocking the US exit until dues are paid. The agency is expected to discuss legal options at its World Health Assembly in May 2026.

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The WHO exit is part of a broader US retreat from international bodies it says no longer serve American interests. In July, Washington announced its withdrawal from UNESCO over alleged anti-Israel bias, and last month, Trump ordered withdrawal from 66 more organizations and commissions deemed to operate against US national interests or sovereignty, including major UN forums on climate, migration and social policy. Secretary of State Marco Rubio has pledged continued review of Washington’s remaining international commitments.