Argentina has officially left the World Health Organization (WHO), the government confirmed on Tuesday.
Foreign Minister Pablo Quirno said the withdrawal takes effect one year after the country formally notified the UN.
“Today Argentina’s withdrawal from the World Health Organization (WHO) is effective, one year after the formal notification made by our country,” Quirno wrote on social media.
He added: “Argentina will continue to promote international cooperation in health through bilateral agreements and regional forums, while fully preserving its sovereignty and its capacity to make decisions regarding health policies.”
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The decision reflects President Javier Milei’s criticism of the WHO, especially over its COVID-19 guidance. Milei has called the organization “nefarious” and accused it of carrying out “the greatest experiment in social control in history.”
Health experts criticized the move, calling it an “aberration,” but the government said it will give Argentina more flexibility in setting its own health policies.
Argentina’s exit follows a similar decision by the United States under former President Donald Trump. WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus called the US withdrawal “a step that makes both the US and the world less safe.”