WHO Archives - HIT Leaders and News

United States Completes WHO Withdrawal

Jason Free — Mon, 26 Jan 2026 11:19:50 +0000

The finalization of the United States' withdrawal from the World Health Organization (WHO) marks a seismic shift in global health governance, one that exposes critical uncertainties for healthcare leaders, public health systems, and the infrastructure supporting pandemic readiness. While federal leadership characterized the move as a necessary correction to institutional failure, the long-term implications for operational coordination, global surveillance, and regulatory alignment remain unresolved.

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Sovereignty Versus Solidarity Divides US and WHO Over Health Regulations

Jason Free — Sun, 20 Jul 2025 23:46:44 +0000

With one day remaining before the 2024 amendments to the World Health Organization International Health Regulations (IHR) would become binding, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and the U.S. Department of State delivered a formal notice refusing to accept the revisions. Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and Secretary of State Marco Rubio argued that the amendments risked sweeping new powers for the WHO—including authority to recommend global lockdowns and border restrictions based on loosely defined “potential public-health risks.” (HHS.gov)

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WHO Announces New Collaborating Center on AI for Health Governance

Jason Free — Wed, 12 Mar 2025 23:06:03 +0000

The World Health Organization (WHO) designated the Digital Ethics Centre at Delft University of Technology in the Netherlands as a WHO Collaborating Centre on artificial intelligence (AI) for health governance.

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The Freeze on Health Communication: Implications for Public Health and Policy

Jason Free — Tue, 28 Jan 2025 13:14:04 +0000

In recent developments, the Trump White House issued orders to freeze communication between the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and its associated agencies, such as the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), with international bodies like the World Health Organization (WHO).

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The Growing Repercussions of the U.S. Withdrawal from WHO: Legal, Ethical, and Health System Implications

Jason Free — Tue, 28 Jan 2025 12:19:24 +0000

The fallout from the Trump administration’s decision to withdraw the United States from the World Health Organization (WHO) continues to generate legal, ethical, and practical concerns.

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International Pathogen Surveillance Network Launches Catalytic Grant Fund for Pathogen Genomics

Jason Free — Wed, 28 Feb 2024 16:28:00 +0000

The World Health Organization (WHO) announced US$ 4 million in funding from donors to create a catalytic grant fund for organizations working in pathogen genomic surveillance.

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Digital Payments to Health Workers Boost Retention, Motivation, and Impact

Jason Free — Tue, 13 Feb 2024 12:41:42 +0000

Campaigns in Africa to stop polio and other diseases have a more stable, better-motivated workforce thanks to WHO’s collaboration with countries and partners to pay frontline health workers through their mobile phones instead of in cash.

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WHO Releases a Web Version of the Second Edition of its Global Accelerated Action for the Health of Adolescents (AA-HA!) Guidance

Jason Free — Tue, 30 Jan 2024 11:51:32 +0000

The World Health Organization (WHO) has released the web version of the second edition of its Global Accelerated Action for the Health of Adolescents (AA-HA!) guidance.

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New Infodemic Management Tools to Support Pandemic Planning and Preparedness for Pandemic Influenza and Respiratory Pathogen Disease Events

Jason Free — Thu, 02 Nov 2023 11:44:04 +0000

A new public health taxonomy for social listening on respiratory pathogens has been released alongside other useful tools for infodemic management.

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WHO Initiative Signs New Licensing Agreements on COVID-19 Technologies

Jason Free — Wed, 06 Sep 2023 11:11:42 +0000

The COVID-19 Technology Access Pool (C-TAP), a multi-stakeholder partnership to facilitate sharing of intellectual property (IP), knowledge and innovations has announced three new licensing agreements acquired through the Medicines Patent Pool (MPP).

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