America, the leader of the free world, is once again hellbent on abdicating its global leadership responsibilities. Donald Trump is back, and so is his signature foreign policy move—cutting the US off from some key global organisations. He has, just like during his first term, decided that the World Health Organisation (WHO) doesn’t deserve US funding anymore. His reason is the same as before: the WHO did not act right during the Covid-19 pandemic and that it’s bent more favourably towards China. 

The American contribution to WHO in 2024 was $950 million. This was nearly 15% of the organisation’s budget, making it the largest single donor out of 194 member countries. So, when Trump pulls out, it’s not just a dent—it’s a crater in the organisation’s budget. 

The WHO is funded through two primary sources: assessed contributions, which are mandatory dues paid by the 194 member countries, calculated on factors like a country’s wealth and population, and voluntary contributions, which come from member states, private individuals, philanthropic organisations and other partners. A significant portion of the WHO’s budget relies on voluntary contributions, chiefly the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, which provides substantial funding to support various global health initiatives. In fact, the Gates Foundation has pledged to continue to contribute to global health causes.

A Billion-Dollar Challenge To Trump

The WHO, worried but not surprised like last time, has politely asked Trump to reconsider his decision. It says it “plays a crucial role in protecting the health and security of the world’s people, including Americans, by addressing the root causes of disease, building stronger health systems, and detecting, preventing and responding to health emergencies, including disease outbreaks, often in dangerous places where others cannot go”.

There has been a global backlash to the US move. But this one should put the country to shame: a member of WHO staff has embarked on a campaign to raise $1 billion through crowdfunding—just enough to cover what the US contributed in 2024. So far, donations have been only trickling in—ordinary citizens of the world are paying from $1 to $4,000 per person. It’s a noble gesture, a show of defiance against Trump, but let’s be honest. It’s like climbing Mount Everest. The symbolism, though, is powerful. The message to Trump is clear.

The WHO is no stranger to both applause and outrage. It vaccinated over 90% of children in Gaza against polio—commendable indeed, considering it accomplished the feat during the ongoing war in Gaza. It battled the Ebola virus in conflict zones where even armies feared to tread. It has led global vaccination drives that have saved millions of lives. But it has its share of shortcomings and failures too: it botched the early COVID-19 response, hesitating to call out China when the virus first spread, it has been accused of bureaucratic delays that cost lives during major health crises, and though it has launched internal reforms since the end of the pandemic, they are not enough. 

Ironically, Trump’s executive order to cripple WHO financially to further his cause of pushing the “America First” agenda may prove counterproductive. By walking away from global commitments, Trump might be winning cheers from his MAGA base, but he doesn’t realise that when the next global health crisis hits, his country might find itself very much alone. And for a country that was once the leader of the free world, that’s quite a downgrade.

Also, what should be more worrying for the US is the possibility that Trump’s action may just open up space for China to step in to fill the gap. Last time Trump pulled this stunt, China rushed in, pledging to increase its voluntary contributions to the WHO. This time, Beijing is still weighing its options.

An Ever-Growing China

The US exiting the WHO and other global agreements and institutions under Trump’s “America First” policy is going to create a power vacuum, which China is sure to quickly move to fill. If this trend continues, Beijing will feel that it would gain the ability to reshape international norms, setting rules that favour its economic, political and ideological interests.

There’s proof to back this. But first let’s look at which treaties and organisations Trump got out of during his first term that led to the US retreating from global leadership: 

• World Health Organization (2020): The US left it amid the COVID-19 pandemic, accusing it of being too China-centric
• Paris Climate Accord (2017): The US claimed that it unfairly burdened the US while allowing China to pollute.
• Iran Nuclear Deal (JCPOA) (2018): America’s exit led to Iran’s renewed nuclear activity and increased West Asia tensions.
• Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) (2017): The US cancelled a major trade pact designed to counter China’s dominance in Asia.
• UNESCO & UN Human Rights Council (2018): The American withdrawal was due to claims of bias against the US and Israel
• Arms Control Treaties: The US withdrew from the INF Treaty with Russia, increasing global arms race risks
• NATO & G7 Threats: Trump repeatedly threatened to withdraw from NATO, weakening confidence in the alliance

Each of these exits did not necessarily weaken the organisations themselves, but they certainly led to massive uncertainties. Some might argue it reduced US influence and allowed China to step in an effort to fill the leadership vacuum.

Did China Gain From US Withdrawals? 

When Trump cut WHO funding in 2020, China stepped up, committing $50 million more to fill the gap. Though the increased amount was far below the US contributions, it allowed Beijing to increase its influence in the organisation, block investigations into COVID-19 origins, and promote its vaccines globally. When Trump withdrew from the Paris Climate Accord, China became the climate leader in climate discussions. Beijing now portrays itself as greener than the US, despite being the world’s largest polluter. Similarly, after Trump unilaterally left the Iran Nuclear Deal, China strengthened ties with Tehran. It also increased oil imports from Iran and expanded economic ties, undermining US sanctions.

Moreover, when Trump withdrew, rather foolishly, from the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP), China joined the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP), now the world’s largest trade pact—without the US being a part of it. The result is that the Asian countries now trade more with China than the US. 

China Sets The Agenda

China secured key leadership roles in UN agencies such as the International Telecommunication Union (ITU), which governs internet standards. It uses these positions to push for global acceptance of Chinese tech models, such as surveillance-based governance.

The more Trump withdraws from global agreements and institutions in the name of the “America First” campaign, the weaker it makes his country, because someone else takes its leadership role. That someone else, in this case, will be none other than China. By enhancing its contributions to a large extent, it will surely set global economic rules, trade investment policies favouring state-owned enterprises, and Chinese dominance. It could control global health governance by prioritising Chinese interests, influencing pandemic response and vaccine policies. It will try to shape digital and internet rules by expanding China’s alleged authoritarian “cyber sovereignty” model, limiting online freedoms.

China will expand military alliances by strengthening BRICS and China-led military partnerships to counter US alliances. It will try to dominate climate policies by controlling carbon markets and green technologies while holding the West accountable for emissions.

China Can Be Checkmated

There is still time for influential countries like India and European nations to step up, support the WHO more and prevent China from assuming a dominant decision-making role. Rather than allowing Beijing to expand its influence unchecked, member countries must collectively address WHO’s funding and governance challenges. Mid-sized economies like India and Brazil, along with developed nations, such as the UK, Germany and France, should increase their contributions to maintain a balanced and effective WHO. The organisation’s past success in eradicating smallpox—one of humanity’s greatest achievements—demonstrates that global health cooperation can transcend political divides to protect everyone.

As for the US, I wonder, does MAGA truly make America stronger, or does it isolate the country while China fills the void in global institutions? With each withdrawal—from WHO to climate agreements and beyond—Trump’s America retreats from leadership, leaving a power vacuum that Beijing is eager to exploit. Are we heading towards “America First” or “America Alone”?

(Syed Zubair Ahmed is a London-based senior Indian journalist with three decades of experience with the Western media)

Disclaimer: These are the personal opinions of the author

Las Vegas:

President Donald Trump said on Saturday he may consider rejoining the World Health Organization, days after ordering a US exit from the global health agency over what he described as a mishandling of the COVID-19 pandemic and other international health crises.

“Maybe we would consider doing it again, I don’t know. Maybe we would. They would have to clean it up,” Trump said at a rally in Las Vegas.

The US is scheduled to leave the WHO on Jan. 22, 2026. Trump announced the move on Monday after he was sworn in for a second term in the White House.

The US is by far the biggest financial backer of the WHO, contributing around 18% of its overall funding. The WHO’s most recent two-year budget, for 2024-2025, was $6.8 billion.

Trump told the crowd in Las Vegas he was unhappy that the U.S. paid more into the WHO than China, which has a much bigger population.

He added that he will ask Saudi Arabia to make an investment of about $1 trillion in the U.S., up from the $600 billion the Saudis have pledged to invest.

Saudi Arabian Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman told Trump in the past week that the kingdom wants to put $600 billion into expanded investment and trade with the U.S. over the next four years.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

United Nations:

The United States will leave the World Health Organization on Jan. 22, 2026, the United Nations said on Thursday, after being formally notified of the decision by President Donald Trump, who has accused the agency of mishandling the pandemic and other international health crises.

Trump announced the move on Monday, hours after he was sworn in for a second four-year term. The WHO said on Tuesday that it regretted the move from its top donor country.

Trump must give a one-year notice of U.S. withdrawal from the Geneva-based body and pay Washington’s dues under a 1948 joint resolution of the U.S. Congress.

The United States is by far the WHO’s biggest financial backer, contributing around 18% of its overall funding. WHO’s most recent two-year budget, for 2024-2025, was $6.8 billion. It was not immediately clear how much the U.S. owes.

“I can confirm we have now received the U.S. letter on the WHO withdrawal. It is dated 22 January 2025. It would take effect a year from yesterday, on 22 January 2026,” said deputy U.N. spokesperson Farhan Haq.

The U.S. departure will likely put at risk programs across the organization, according to several experts inside and outside the WHO, notably those tackling tuberculosis, the world’s biggest infectious disease killer, as well as HIV/AIDS and other health emergencies.

The withdrawal order signed by Trump said the administration would cease negotiations on the WHO pandemic treaty while the withdrawal is in progress. U.S. government personnel working with the WHO will be recalled and reassigned, and the government will look for partners to take over necessary WHO activities, according to the order.

Trump’s withdrawal from the WHO was not unexpected. He took steps to quit the body in 2020 during his first term as president. Before the U.S. withdrawal could be completed last time, Joe Biden won the presidential election and put a stop to it on his first day in office on Jan. 20, 2021.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

Zurich:

The head of the World Health Organization said on Friday he was not sure he was going to survive an air strike on Yemen’s main airport carried out by Israel a day earlier during a series of attacks on the Iran-aligned Houthi movement.

Speaking after his ordeal at the Sanaa International Airport on Thursday, WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said the explosions that rocked the building were so deafening that his ears were still ringing more than a day later.

Tedros said it quickly became apparent the airport was under attack, describing people “running in disarray” through the site after approximately four blasts, one of them “alarmingly” close to where he was sitting near the departure lounge.

“I was not sure actually I could survive because it was so close, a few meters from where we were,” he told Reuters. “A slight deviation could have resulted in a direct hit.”

Tedros said he and his colleagues were stuck at the airport for the next hour or so as what he thought were drones flew overhead, feeding concern they could open fire again. Among the debris, he and colleagues saw missile fragments, he said.

“There (was) no shelter at all. Nothing. So you’re just exposed, just waiting for anything to happen,” he said.

The Israeli strikes on Yemen came after Houthis repeatedly fired drones and missiles toward Israel in what they describe as acts of solidarity with Palestinians in Gaza.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said afterwards that Israel was “just getting started” with the Houthis.

The Houthi-controlled Saba News Agency said three people died in the strikes on the airport and three were killed in Hodeidah, with 40 others wounded in the attacks.

Speaking by telephone from Jordan, where he flew on Friday, helping to evacuate a U.N. colleague seriously injured at the airport for further medical treatment, Tedros said he had received no warning Israel could be about to strike the airport.

The injured man, who worked for the UN Humanitarian Air Service, was now “OK” and in a stable condition, he said.

Tedros traveled to Yemen over Christmas to try to negotiate the release of UN staff and others held there. He acknowledged that he and colleagues knew the trip was risky in light of high tension between Israel and the Houthis.

But such was the window of opportunity to work for the release of the UN personnel that they believed they had to take it, said Tedros, a former Ethiopian foreign minister.

He said talks with Yemeni authorities had gone well and that he saw a chance that the 16 UN staff as well as employees of diplomatic missions and NGO workers held there could be freed.

He declined to engage in recriminations over the attack but said his itinerary had been shared publicly and expressed surprise that civilian infrastructure should have been targeted.

“So a civilian airport should be protected, whether I am in it or not,” he said, before observing there was “nothing special” about what he had faced in Yemen. “One of my colleagues said we narrowly escaped death. I’m just one human being. So I feel for those who are facing the same thing every single day. But at least it allowed me to feel the way they feel.”

“I’m worried about our world, where it’s heading,” Tedros added, urging world leaders to work together to end global conflicts. “I have never … as far as I can remember, seen the world really being in such a very dangerous state.”

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

An unknown disease with flu-like symptoms has killed at least 79 people in the Democratic Republic of Congo, according to the BBC. The unidentified disease has infected 300 people in DR Congo since November 10, causing flu-like symptoms including fever, headaches, coughing, breathing difficulties and anaemia, the country’s health ministry said. Most of the dead have been between the ages of 15 and 18, it added. In a statement on X, the ministry said the disease was of “still unknown origin” and had been detected in Kwango province in southwestern Congo.

Response teams have been sent to Kwango Province to manage cases and investigate the nature of the disease, the outlet reported. The government has urged citizens to stay calm and vigilant. They urged people to wash their hands with soap, avoid mass gatherings, and avoid touching the bodies of the deceased without qualified health personnel.

A World Health Organisation (WHO) Africa region official told BBC that they have “dispatched a team to the remote area to collect samples for lab investigations”. The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, which has an office in Congo, said it is aware of the situation and is providing technical assistance to a rapid response team dispatched by a local emergency operations centre, as per NBC News. 

Symphorien Manzanza, a civil society leader, said that the situation is worrying as the number of infected people continues to rise. “Panzi is a rural health zone, so there is a problem with the supply of medicines,” he said.

Also Read | Namibia Gets Its First Female Leader: Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah

Separately, a local MP said that about 67 people had fallen sick and died between November 10 and 26. “It should be noted that Panzi Hospital is short of medicines to cope with this epidemic. We really need assistance,” the MP said. 

Notably, the latest outbreak comes amid a time when the central African country is also dealing with a severe outbreak of mpox. It also comes just before the fifth anniversary of the first recorded case of Covid-19 in Wuhan, China.

DR Congo has also dealt with bouts of Ebola over the years.

New Delhi:

The doctor-population ratio is 1:811 in the country which is better than the WHO standard of 1:1000, Union Health Minister J P Nadda informed the Lok Sabha on Friday.

As per information provided by the National Medical Commission (NMC), there are 13,86,145 allopathic doctors registered with the State Medical Councils and the National Medical Commission (NMC) as on November, 2024, he said.

“Assuming 80 per cent availability of registered allopathic doctors and around 6.14 lakh AYUSH doctors, the doctor-population ratio in the country is around 1:811 which is better than the WHO standard of 1:1000,” J P Nadda said.

The government has increased the number of medical colleges and subsequently increased MBBS seats, he said.

The minister said there is an increase of 102 per cent in the medical colleges from 387 before 2014 to 780 as of now.

Further, there is an increase of 130 per cent in MBBS seats from 51,348 before 2014 to 1,18,137 as of now and an increase of 135 per cent in PG seats from 31,185 before 2014 to 73,157 as of now, he added.

Listing the measures/steps taken by the government to increase the doctor/medical professional in the country, J P Nadda said the Centrally Sponsored Scheme for establishment of new medical colleges by upgrading district/ referral hospital under which 131 new medical colleges are already functional out of 157 approved medical colleges which includes 23 medical colleges in Rajasthan.

Under upgradation of government medical colleges by construction of Super Specialty Blocks of Pradhan Mantri Swasthya Suraksha Yojana (PMSSY) scheme, a total of 75 projects have been approved, of which 69 projects are complete, the minister informed.

Under the Central Sector Scheme for setting up of new AIIMS, 22 AIIMS have been approved, said J P Nadda said, adding undergraduate courses have started in 19 of these.

Besides, DNB qualification has been recognized for appointment as faculty to take care of shortage of faculty. Enhancement of age limit for appointment/ extension/ re-employment against posts of teachers/dean/principal/ director in medical colleges upto 70 years, he said. 

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

An initial 899,000 vaccine doses have been allocated for 9 countries across Africa that have been hit hard by the current mpox surge.
| Photo Credit: Dado Ruvic

An initial 899,000 vaccine doses have been allocated for 9 countries across Africa that have been hit hard by the current mpox surge, the WHO and other health organisations said on Wednesday.

The WHO declared mpox a global public health emergency for the second time in two years in August after a new variant of the virus, called clade Ib, spread from the Democratic Republic of Congo to neighbouring countries.

Global mpox infections: Symptoms, treatment, and status of outbreak | Explained 

In September, after facing criticism on moving too slowly on vaccines, the World Health Organization cleared Bavarian Nordic’s vaccine for mpox and said it was considering LC16, made by Japan’s KM Biologics as a potential vaccine option.

The WHO also set up a scheme to help bring mpox vaccines, tests and treatments to the most vulnerable people in the world’s poorest countries, similar to efforts during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The global health agency said on Wednesday the newly allocated vaccines will go to the Central African Republic, Ivory Coast, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Kenya, Liberia, Nigeria, Rwanda, South Africa and Uganda.

The largest number of doses – 85% of the allocated vaccines – will go to the Democratic Republic of Congo as the most affected country, the WHO said.

The allocated vaccines are from European countries, the United States, Canada and Gavi, a public-private alliance that co-funds vaccine purchases for low-income countries.

According to the latest WHO figures, there have been more than 46,000 confirmed and suspected cases of mpox in Africa this year, and more than 1,000 deaths in the continent due to the viral illness. (Reporting by Christy Santhosh in Bengaluru; Editing by Shounak Dasgupta)

If India’s Health Ministry and the Meghalaya State government have till date refused to reveal all the details of the polio case in a two-year-old boy in Meghalaya’s West Garo Hills district who was found with symptoms of polio in the first week of August this year, the WHO too has been cagey about making any kind of official announcement of the case till now.

On September 16, Dr Roderico H. Ofrin, WHO Representative to India, told The Hindu in an email that the ICMR-NIV Mumbai unit, which is a WHO-accredited polio laboratory, had confirmed that the polio case detected in Meghalaya was a type-1 vaccine-derived poliovirus (VDPV), and that the ICMR lab shared the results with the Health Ministry, the Meghalaya State government and the WHO on August 12. He also said that CDC Atlanta too had confirmed it as a type 1 VDPV.

According to him, follow-up tests conducted by ICMR-NIV Mumbai unit and surveillance confirmed that the immunological profile of the child was normal and that there was no evidence that the virus was circulating in the community. The follow-up test thus confirmed that it was not a case of immunodeficiency related vaccine-derived poliovirus (iVDPV). Since the child was not immunocompromised, the polio was caused by the live, weakened type-1 virus strain used in the bivalent oral polio vaccine that had undergone mutations and gained the ability to cause polio in the child who was not fully immunised. Since there was no evidence that the virus was circulating in the community or isolated from healthy community members, the Meghalaya case is called as VDPV type-1 and not as circulating VDPV (cVDPV) type-1.

Dr. Ofrin also said that it generally takes three-four weeks to assess the immunological profile of the child from whom the virus was isolated and to also assess if there is any evidence of circulation of the virus in the community. These assessments were completed and the results were shared with the Health Ministry, the Meghalaya State government, and the WHO before September 16, according to Dr. Ofrin’s email.

While Dr. Ofrin had shared all the details of the case with The Hindu even when the Health Ministry had not, it is surprising that the WHO has till date not posted any details of the case on its website or made an announcement of the case. WHO did not respond to queries from The Hindu that were emailed on October 8 and a reminder email on October 15 about the delay in posting the details of the Meghalaya polio case on its website. Like the WHO, no official announcement of the case has been made by the Global Polio Eradication Initiative (GPEI) either. Global Polio Eradication Initiative is a public-private partnership led by national governments with six partners, including the WHO.

Nearly 75 days after the ICMR-NIV Mumbai unit first shared the results with the WHO on August 12 and more than 45 days after the immunological profile of the child was tested and evidence of circulation of the virus in the community was assessed and results shared with the WHO, both the WHO and the Global Polio Eradication Initiative have maintained radio silence about the Meghalaya polio case.

In contrast, in 2022, the Global Polio Eradication Initiative made an official announcement of a type-3 circulating vaccine-derived poliovirus (cVDPV3) case in Israel on March 17, just 10 days after the case was confirmed in an unvaccinated girl aged three years and nine months. Similarly, on July 21, 2022, an updated statement by the GEPI mentioned about a type-2 VDPV case in New York, U.S. The announcement by the GPEI was made just three days after the U.S. CDC was notified about the results. While the GPEI announced the type-2 VDPV case in New York and the cVDPV3 case in Israel almost immediately, it took 45 days and 38 days, respectively for the WHO’s Disease Outbreak News to announce them.

Though the WHO Disease Outbreak News website says that as per the International Health Regulations (2005), “WHO may make information on acute public health events available… if there is a need for the dissemination of authoritative and independent information”, no information about the Meghalaya polio case has been posted on the site till date.

In contrast, on May 26, 2017, WHO posted the details in the Disease Outbreak News site about the three Zika virus cases in Gujarat between November 2016 and January 2017, just 11 days after the Health Ministry informed the WHO. Zika virus was no longer in circulation in Gujarat when WHO published the news, and just like the Meghalaya polio case, the Health Ministry was secretive about the Zika cases in Gujarat. The question therefore is this: why has WHO not shown the same alacrity in publishing the details of the Meghalaya polio case?