Buenos Aires: Argentina has formally withdrawn from the World Health Organization, with the move taking effect one year after notifying the UN. The government says the decision enhances sovereignty and policy flexibility in health matters.
In a statement shared on social media, Quirno said Argentina had notified the United Nations Secretary-General of its decision on March 17, 2025. Under the provisions of the Vienna Convention on the Law of Treaties, the withdrawal becomes effective one year after the notification.
The withdrawal occurs one year following that notification in compliance with the Vienna Convention on the Law of Treaties.
Quirno emphasised that Argentina would continue to engage in international health cooperation through bilateral agreements and regional platforms while maintaining full control over its domestic health policies.
“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 stated that the decision “provides the country with greater flexibility to implement policies tailored to the context and interests required by Argentina, as well as increased availability of resources, and reaffirms our commitment to a country with sovereignty in health matters.”
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 the Argentines were not going to allow an international organisation 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 organisations, the spokesperson said he did not know, but he stressed that the president was very categorical about making Argentina free.
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File photo: Xinhua
–IANS
