UN agencies have reacted with regret to the United States' decision to withdraw from the World Health Organization (WHO) and the Paris Agreement on climate change.
The decisions were announced as part of a sweeping series of executive orders signed by U.S. President Trump on his first day in office on Monday.
Speaking to reporters in Geneva on Tuesday, WHO spokesman Tarik Jasarevic underscored the agency's crucial role in protecting the health and security of people around the world, stressing that it responds to health emergencies in dangerous places where others cannot go.
"The World Health Organization regrets the announcement that the United States of America intends to withdraw from the organization," said the spokesman.
"WHO 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, and often in dangerous places where others cannot go," he said.
Jasarevic highlighted WHO's success in saving countless lives over the course of the past decades, all with the support of the U.S.
"For over seven decades, WHO and the United States of America have saved countless lives and protected Americans and all people from health threats. Together, we ended smallpox, and together we have brought polio to the brink of eradication. American institutions have contributed to and benefited from membership in WHO," he said.
The U.S. joined WHO in 1948 after a joint resolution was passed by both chambers of Congress. The resolution requires the country to provide one year's notice to leave the organization.
The spokesman expressed hope that the U.S. will reconsider the decision.
"We hope the United States will reconsider and we look forward to engaging in constructive dialogue to maintain the partnership between the United States of America and WHO, for the benefit of the health and well-being of millions of people around the globe," he said.
Also at the press conference, UN humanitarian affairs office (OCHA) spokesman Jens Laerke highlighted the UN health agency's importance in the international humanitarian system.
"The world lives longer, healthier, perhaps a little bit happier because of WHO. So, I noted that, Tarik mentioned that, WHO is in places where others cannot go, and that is exactly where we need our colleagues from WHO, in Gaza, in Yemen, in Afghanistan, everywhere, in Sudan. It is an indispensable part of the international humanitarian system," Laerke said.
Adding her voice to the chorus of reactions, Clare Nullis from UN's weather agency World Meteorological Organization commented on the new U.S. administration's decision to withdraw from the 2015 Paris Agreement on climate change.
"The need for Paris Agreement is pretty obvious. We reported two weeks ago that 2024 was the hottest year on record, we temporarily hit the 1.5-degree Celsius level," she said. A legally binding international treaty on climate change, the Paris Agreement was adopted by 196 parties at the COP 21 conference on climate change. Its main goal is to hold the increase in the global average temperature to well below 2 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels.
Nullis said that climate change is making global weather more extreme, accounting for a rise in weather-related disasters, such as the recent deadly wildfires in California.
"The United States of America accounts for the lion's share of global economic losses from weather, climate and water-related hazards and I'm quoting here from US figures. According to the US figures, the US has sustained more than 400 weather and climate disasters since 1980 where overall damages or costs exceeded 1 billion US dollars," she said.
"We look at climate change from the perspective of decades, even centuries, rather than a four- or five-year term in office, and as what our Secretary-General has said, it is the defining challenge of our time," Nullis concluded.
UN agencies regret U.S. decision to withdraw from WHO, Paris Agreement on climate change
