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- Reuters

BUENOS AIRES: Argentina's president has ordered the country's withdrawal from the World Health Organization due to "profound differences" with the UN agency, a presidential spokesperson said on Wednesday.

President Javier Milei's decision echoes that of his ally, US President Donald Trump, who began the process of pulling the United States out of WHO with an executive order on his first day back in office on January 21.

The loss of another member country will further fracture cooperation in global health, though Argentina was expected to provide only about $8 million to WHO for the agency's estimated $6.9 billion 2024-2025 budget.

Argentina's decision is based on "profound differences in health management, especially during the (Covid-19) pandemic," spokesperson Manuel Adorni told a news conference in Buenos Aires. He said WHO guidelines at the time led to the largest shutdown "in the history of mankind."

Argentina will not allow an international organization to intervene in its sovereignty "and much less in our health," he added.

WHO has no authority to compel countries to take specific health actions, and the organization's guidelines and recommendations, including in health crises like Covid-19, are often disregarded. WHO said it was looking into Argentina's announcement.

Adorni did not say when Milei's decision would be implemented. He also asserted that WHO lacks independence because of the political influence of some countries, without naming any.

WHO is the only organization mandated to coordinate global responses to acute health crises, particularly outbreaks of new diseases and persistent threats including Ebola, AIDS and mpox.