Fauci Announces US Will Stay in World Health Organization, a Reversal from Trump
The United States will remain in the World Health Organization, Dr. Anthony Fauci announced Thursday, reversing former President Donald Trump’s decision to leave the health agency.
“I am honored to announce that the United States will remain a member of the World Health Organization,” Fauci said Thursday, according to NPR.
The director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases and chief medical advisor to the president made the announcement after President Joe Biden reversed Trump’s move to exit the organization.
Trump sent a letter to the WHO on July 6 that the United States would withdraw from the agency effective July 6, 2021, NPR reported.
Biden sent letters to retract the withdrawal Wednesday to United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres and to WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
Fauci said the U.S. relationship with the WHO is “one that we value deeply and will look to strengthen going forward.”
The United States will also fulfill its financial obligations to the organization — as of June 30, the country owed $198 million in unpaid membership dues.
Tedros responded to the news in a Twitter statement.
“@WHO is a family of nations. We are all glad that the United States of America is staying in the family,” he wrote.
Thank you my brother Tony for leading the ?? delegation at #EB148 & my thanks to the ?? Government for supporting the @ACTAccelerator & joining COVAX. We must work together to ensure all countries can vaccinate #healthworkers & high-risk groups in the first 100 days of 2021.
— Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus (@DrTedros) January 21, 2021
Tedros also thanked Fauci for leading a delegation at the executive board meeting and congratulated him on his new spot on the WHO executive board representing the U.S.
“This is a good day for WHO and a good day for global health,” Tedros said.
“And I send my deep thanks and my warm congratulations to President Biden and Vice President Harris, and to the American people.”
The warmth between the WHO and the Biden administration is in stark contrast to Trump’s frequent criticisms of WHO and Tedros over the handling of the coronavirus pandemic.
Fauci said an international investigation into the origins of COVID-19 must be “robust and clear.”
“We are committed to transparency, including those events surrounding the early days of the pandemic,” he said.
“It is imperative that we learn and build upon important lessons about how future pandemic events can be averted.”
Truth and Accuracy
We are committed to truth and accuracy in all of our journalism. Read our editorial standards.
Advertise with The Western Journal and reach millions of highly engaged readers, while supporting our work. Advertise Today.
