Argentina Exits WHO, Citing Sovereignty and Policy Flexibility

He said in a social media post on Tuesday that Argentina communicated this decision through a note addressed to the United Nations Secretary-General on March 17, 2025.

In accordance with the Vienna Convention on the Law of Treaties, the withdrawal takes place one year after that notification.

"Our country will continue to promote international cooperation in health through bilateral agreements and regional forums, fully safeguarding its sovereignty and its capacity to make decisions regarding health policies," Quirno said.

The Argentine government announced the decision to withdraw from the global health body in February last year.

Presidential spokesperson Manuel Adorni told a press conference at the time that President Javier Milei had instructed the Argentine foreign minister to withdraw the country's participation in the UN specialised agency, Xinhua news agency reported.

The spokesperson said that the decision "gives the country greater flexibility to implement policies adapted to the context and interests that Argentina requires, as well as greater availability of resources, and reaffirms our path towards a country with sovereignty also in matters of health."

Earlier, on February 5, 2025, the Argentine government had announced its withdrawal from the WHO.

The presidential spokesperson, Manuel Adorni, told a press conference that President Javier Milei had instructed Foreign Minister Gerardo Werthein to withdraw Argentina's participation in the World Health Organization. Adorni stated that Argentines were not going to allow an international organization to intervene in their sovereignty, much less in their health.

The spokesperson further clarified that Argentina did not receive financing from the WHO for health management. Therefore, he argued that the measure did not represent a loss of funds for the country, nor did it affect the quality of services, contrary to what some had suggested on social networks.

The official said that the decision gave the country greater flexibility to implement policies adapted to the context and interests that Argentina required, as well as greater availability of resources. He had added that it reaffirmed their path towards a country with sovereignty in health matters.

When asked about the possibility of the South American country adopting similar measures regarding other international organizations, the spokesperson had said he did not know, but he stressed that the president was very categorical about making Argentina freer.

- IANS