Trump’s WHO Exit Sparks Urgent Plea From African Union

Trump’s WHO Exit Sparks Urgent Plea From African UnionThe African Union (AU) has called on former U.S. President Donald Trump to reconsider his decision to withdraw the United States from the World Health Organization (WHO).Nivo News reports that President Trump signed an executive order on Monday, following his inauguration, to finalize the U.S. withdrawal from WHO.

WHO had earlier pleaded with Trump to rethink his stance for the sake of global health security and the populations it serves.

In a statement issued on Tuesday, the Chairperson of the African Union Commission, Moussa Faki Mahamat, expressed disappointment over the decision.

“The USA, as a WHO member, has played a crucial role in shaping global health policies and frameworks for over seven decades,” Mahamat said.

He noted that the U.S. was instrumental in establishing the Africa CDC, the African Union’s public health technical agency, which collaborates with WHO and other global health institutions to prepare for and manage pandemics.

“Now more than ever, the world relies on WHO to fulfill its mission of ensuring global health security as a shared priority,” the statement added.

The Chairperson expressed hope that the U.S. government would reconsider its withdrawal from WHO, a key global institution it helped to found.