Since President Donald Trump took office last month, the United States has withdrawn from multiple international organizations and commitments. Pursuing an isolationist, nationalist agenda, the U.S. is shunning global cooperation and coordination in favor of its domestic affairs. However, the decision has dire consequences—for both the U.S. and the world.
On Jan. 20, the U.S. signaled that it would leave the World Health Organization (WHO). A week later, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) were ordered to stop working with the WHO. As an agency of the United Nations (UN), the WHO promotes health across the globe by expanding access to healthcare, coordinating responses to health emergencies and addressing the social and environmental factors that impact health. At the same time, the organization monitors global health trends and establishes global health standards in conjunction with member states. Since it was created in 1948, the WHO has accomplished a great deal. Its mass vaccination programs have eliminated smallpox, nearly eradicated polio and lowered the prevalence of tuberculosis and measles. The WHO has also reduced malaria transmission and led the development of an Ebola vaccine. Currently, the organization focuses on chronic diseases, nutrition and women, children and adolescent’s health and communicable diseases like HIV/AIDS and COVID-19.
With the U.S. being the largest financial supporter of the WHO, its departure will greatly impact the organization and its missions. The WHO will be less able to respond to global health threats and, as a result, global health will take a hit. And the U.S. is not isolated from the consequences. If bird flu or mpox become widespread outbreaks, the U.S. will not have access to global health data as it did during previous epidemics and pandemics; it will be unable to develop an effective response to the pathogens. With no proper containment, treatment or prevention measures, the health of people living in the U.S. will be negatively impacted, in addition to that of people worldwide. Adding to the situation, the CDC is facing censorship in communications and research by the administration, delaying and preventing key health information from being published.
On Jan. 20, the U.S. announced that it would leave the Paris Agreement. Adopted in 2015 at the UN Climate Change Conference, the international treaty aims to combat climate change by limiting the global temperature increase to 1.5 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels.
As the U.S. is the second-largest climate polluter in the world, its withdrawal will significantly affect the world’s progress in fighting climate change. If the global temperature increase reaches two degrees Celsius, we will see an increased frequency and intensity of extreme weather events, including heatwaves, droughts, floods and cyclones. Global climate patterns, such as rainfall and ocean currents, will shift. Sea levels will rise further. As a result, humans will be displaced, crop yields and nutrients will diminish, water availability will decrease and vector-borne diseases and respiratory problems will increase. We already see the effects of climate change in the U.S., from severe droughts and wildfires in California to Category 4 and 5 hurricanes in southern states—it will only get worse. Moreover, the administration has doubled down on expanding oil and gas production and rolling back environmental protections, adding fuel to the fire.
On Feb. 4, the U.S. pulled out of the UN Human Rights Council. Promoting and protecting human rights across the globe, the council holds member states accountable and pushes for change, from Russia and Ukraine to Venezuela and Nicaragua. The U.S.’s departure sends a dangerous message to the world: that the rights of individuals do not matter and can be violated. The administration has fired members of watchdog agencies, which monitor the government to ensure it does not act illegally or unethically. Additionally, it has used the military against, deported and detained immigrants seeking asylum and attacked birthright citizenship, which is enshrined in the Fourteenth Amendment of the U.S. Constitution.
For the past month, the administration has been dismantling the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID). Employing 10,000 people, the agency administers humanitarian aid programs to 120 countries in need, supporting their development. It has contributed to conservation efforts in the Amazon rainforest, curbing cocaine production in Peru, AIDS treatment in South Africa, providing basic necessities in eastern Congo, helping communicable disease prevention in Sudan and funding hospitals in Syria. It assists the media in Georgia and Armenia, combatting Russian influence, and in Myanmar, where an oppressive military government reigns. It helps marginalized communities, from women in Kosovo to LGBTQIA+ people in Uganda.
With the U.S. being the largest provider of humanitarian assistance globally, cutting USAID will impact millions of individuals across the world—including in the U.S. Conserving the Amazon rainforest combats climate change. Curbing cocaine production fights substance abuse. Treating and preventing communicable diseases helps prevent the next pandemic. Protecting democratic values supports the peace and security of the world. Furthermore, thousands of U.S. workers have lost their jobs across USAID and other federal agencies. As the Department of Government Efficiency slashes countless departments and programs, residents of the U.S. will continue to suffer the consequences—both in lost livelihoods and in lost government services.
By withdrawing from global health, climate change, human rights and humanitarian aid organizations and commitments, the U.S. is jeopardizing the well-being of its residents and the rest of the world under the guise of “America first.” Despite being a founding member of the UN, it is clear that the U.S. is no longer interested in international collaboration—or being a world leader. To the detriment of us all, the U.S. has officially exited the global stage.