Argentina will exit the World Health Organization due to its mishandling of the COVID-19 pandemic, a spokesman for right-wing populist President Javier Milei confirmed on Wednesday.
This decision follows closely after President Donald Trump’s announcement, on the first day of his second term, that the US would leave the UN health body.
“President Javier Milei has instructed Foreign Minister Gerardo Werthein to begin the process of withdrawing Argentina from the WHO,” said government spokesman Manuel Adorni during a press briefing.
Like Trump, Milei’s spokesperson expressed deep disagreements with the WHO’s response to the pandemic.
“We, as Argentinians, will not allow an international organisation to undermine our sovereignty, especially when it comes to our health,” Adorni stated. At the start of the pandemic in 2020, Argentina implemented some of the strictest measures in the world to combat the virus.
Curfews were enforced for longer periods than almost anywhere else, with people only allowed to leave their homes for essential tasks, such as grocery shopping and medical appointments.
