• Argentina has officially withdrawn from the World Health Organization (WHO), effective immediately.
• This decision reflects President Milei's criticism of the WHO's COVID-19 management.
• Argentina's exit aligns with the United States' withdrawal earlier this year.
• Foreign Minister Quirno emphasized a shift towards bilateral health agreements to maintain national sovereignty.
• The move raises new questions about global health governance amidst shifting international relations.

Argentina has formally completed its withdrawal from the World Health Organization (WHO), a decision announced by Foreign Minister Pablo Quirno. This marks a definitive separation from the UN health agency after a year-long process initiated by President Javier Milei’s government, which heavily criticized the WHO for its management during the COVID-19 pandemic. The Milei administration accused the WHO of priorities based on political interests rather than scientific evidence, calling it a "nefarious" entity and labeling pandemic responses as "the greatest experiment in social control in history," according to Indiatimes, AA, and Al Jazeera.

The withdrawal from the WHO officially takes effect immediately, having been first signaled in February last year when Argentina communicated its intentions to the United Nations. Quirno stated, “Argentina will continue to promote international cooperation in health through bilateral agreements and regional forums," indicating a pivot towards more autonomous health diplomacy, according to AA and Indiatimes.

This decision aligns Argentina's policy with that of the United States, which formalized its own exit from the WHO in January. Both the Milei administration and the Trump administration have criticized the organization for purportedly infringing on national sovereignty and failing in its responsibilities. These synchronized withdrawals signal a significant challenge to global health governance models, as several nations reconsider their affiliations with international health bodies, reports Al Jazeera and AA.

The WHO's role historically encompasses major global health initiatives, including disease eradication and health system strengthening. WHO director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus has expressed concern over the implications of both the US and now Argentina's withdrawals, indicating that these moves make both countries and the global population less safe, as mentioned by Indiatimes and Al Jazeera.