U.S. President Donald Trump’s executive order to withdraw the United States from the World Health Organization has raised concerns about its impact on global health. Beyond the health consequences, the order has also raised a lot of questions about its legal and practical implications.
The questions include whether Trump has the authority to withdraw from WHO. The U.S. Congress adopted a joint resolution in 1948 that allows the president to accept WHO membership and states that the U.S. reserves the right to withdraw from WHO. The resolution is unclear on whether the president can withdraw from the agency without congressional approval.
Other questions include whether the process will run for one year or six months and whether the executive order effectively removes the U.S. from the amendments to the International Health Regulations, the legally binding instrument that lists countries’ and WHO’s obligations in a health emergency.