Argentina to quit World Health Organization: presidency

Argentina will pull out of the World Health Organization (WHO), President Javier Milei's office said Wednesday, following in the footsteps of the United States which announced its exit from the UN agency last month.

Milei's decision was based on "deep differences regarding health management especially during the (Covid-19) pandemic," spokesman Manuel Adorni told reporters, adding Argentina would not "allow an international body to interfere in our sovereignty."

The measure also gave Argentina "greater flexibility to implement policies adapted to the context" locally, while ensuring "greater availability of resources," he said.

Self-declared "anarcho-capitalist" Milei is an avowed fan of US President Donald Trump, who signed an order within hours of his January 20 inauguration for the United States to withdraw from the WHO, which he has also criticized for its handling of the pandemic.

Washington was the biggest contributor to the Geneva-based organization, which Trump claimed had "ripped us off," and the US withdrawal could leave global health initiatives short of funding.

Since taking office in December 2023, Milei has gutted public spending, having vowed to maintain a zero budget deficit after years of overspending.

His austerity measures are estimated to have tipped millions more people into poverty, but the country also recorded its biggest-ever trade surplus in 2024 -- partly due to an import and spending slump.

Milei was the first foreign leader to visit Trump at his Mar-a-Lago Florida estate after the Republican's November US election victory.