On March 17, Argentina formally withdrew from the World Health Organization (WHO), one year after announcing its decision.
“Argentina communicated this decision to the Secretary-General of the United Nations on March 17, 2025,” Argentina’s Foreign Affairs Minister Pablo Quirno announced on social media. “In accordance with the Vienna Convention on the Law of Treaties, the withdrawal becomes effective one year after that notification.”
The Milei administration’s decision to withdraw from the WHO stemmed from the agency’s apparent mishandling of the COVID-19 pandemic, with huge opposition against methods like masking, social distancing and vaccinations. It also claims that the WHO’s measures were more politically-driven.
President Javier Milei called the agency a “nefarious” organization, responsible for the “greatest experiment in social control in history,” referring to the safety measures.
Last year, presidential spokesman Manuel Adorni—now Chief of Staff—said the withdrawal was due to “deep differences” over the WHO’s handling of the situation, while also criticizing former President Alberto Fernández’s lockdown decisions, according to the Buenos Aires Herald.
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“Argentines won’t allow an international organization to intervene in our sovereignty, much less in our health,” Adorni said.
Quirno expressed on Tuesday that the nation would contribute to global health efforts while maintaining “its sovereignty and its capacity to make decisions regarding health policies.”
With Argentina’s departure, its government is looking to “reclaim national autonomy over public health policy,” the Anadolu Agency reported.
The departure also follows the U.S., which also left the WHO a month earlier for similar reasons. Both governments have been staunch opponents of the agency, claiming it was trespassing its mandates and threatening the sovereignty of other nations.
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However, the WHO is an advisory agency, meaning it cannot force or decide public policies in any country, according to the United Nations.
Critics warn that the exit would impact the country’s public health system, especially with vaccine purchases and observations on outbreaks.
“This decision leaves our country out of international coordination processes in case of pandemics, and weakens multilateralism as well as instances of global governance,” the International Relations Institute of the National University of La Plata said last year, after the announcement was made.
In February 2025, Leandro Cahn, who leads the HIV prevention organization Fundación Huésped, warned on X that withdrawing from the WHO would jeopardize Argentina’s ability to track disease outbreaks and benefit from international sharing of medical technology.
“We would not be able to buy vaccines and HIV treatments through their rotating fund, which makes costs significantly cheaper,” he wrote.
While the WHO loses another member state, it also warned of the possibility of a nuclear-related matter as the conflict in Iran continues.
Politico reported that WHO officials had been watching the continuing strikes in Iran’s nuclear infrastructure, prompting more efforts to prepare for risks of radiation.
“Staff are ready for a nuclear incident, including an attack on a nuclear facility or the use of weapons,” WHO Regional Director for the Eastern Mediterranean Hanan Balkhy said.
