Buenos Aires – Argentina has formally withdrawn from the World Health Organization (WHO), effective Tuesday, Foreign Minister Pablo Quirno announced. The decision, communicated via a note addressed to the United Nations Secretary-General on March 17, 2025, marks the culmination of a process initiated earlier last year.
“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 stated in a social media post.
The Argentine government first announced its intention to exit the WHO in February 2025, with Presidential spokesperson Manuel Adorni explaining that the move would grant the country “greater flexibility to implement policies adapted to the context and interests that Argentina requires, as well as greater availability of resources.” Adorni further asserted that the withdrawal “reaffirms our path towards a country with sovereignty also in matters of health.”
Pablo Quirno, who served as Secretary of Finance and International Economic Relations under President Javier Milei prior to his appointment as Foreign Minister in October 2025, has been central to the implementation of the withdrawal. He previously held positions in economics during the Mauricio Macri administration (2015-2019), including General Coordinator of the Finance Secretariat.
The withdrawal takes effect one year after the initial notification, in accordance with the Vienna Convention on the Law of Treaties. The Argentine government has not yet detailed specific bilateral agreements or regional forums it intends to prioritize in place of WHO membership.
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