New York City Joins WHO’s Global Outbreak Response Network After US Exit

New York City’s move follows similar steps by California and Illinois to maintain ties with the WHO’s global outbreak response system.

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New York City’s health department said on Feb. 4 it has joined the World Health Organization’s (WHO) Global Outbreak Alert and Response Network, becoming the latest Democratic-led jurisdiction to link up with the United Nations-coordinated public health system following President Donald Trump’s decision to withdraw the United States from the WHO.

The move places New York City alongside California and Illinois, whose leaders have said they will participate in the global outbreak network despite the federal government’s formal exit from the WHO last month.

The WHO-coordinated Global Outbreak Alert and Response Network (GOARN) links hundreds of public health institutions worldwide to detect and respond to emerging disease threats.

“By joining GOARN, New York City gains access to a global network of over 360 institutions and organizations that respond to acute public health events with the deployment of staff and resources to affected countries,” the New York City Health Department said in a statement.

“Infectious diseases know no boundaries, and nor should the information and resources that help us protect New Yorkers,” Acting Health Commissioner and Chief Medical Officer Michelle Morse added.

Trump formally pulled the United States out of the WHO on Jan. 22 after completing a one-year withdrawal process triggered by a January 2025 executive order. The order suspended all U.S. funding to the organization and directed the recall of U.S. personnel working with the agency.

The president’s order cited the WHO’s “mishandling of the COVID-19 pandemic that arose out of Wuhan, China, and other global health crises” as reasons behind the U.S. withdrawal. It also singled out the WHO’s failure to adopt reforms and what Trump described as inappropriate political influence by member states as additional reasons for pulling out.

The United States had been the organization’s largest financial contributor, providing roughly $1.28 billion during the 2022–2023 biennium, according to the WHO.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Health Secretary Robert Kennedy Jr. said in a joint statement announcing the U.S. withdrawal that the organization had acted against U.S. interests despite Washington’s role as a founding member.

“This action responds to the WHO’s failures during the COVID-19 pandemic and seeks to rectify the harm from those failures inflicted on the American people,” the two officials said. “Promises made, promises kept.”

Democratic-led States Defy WHO Withdrawal

Democratic leaders in several states have criticized the administration’s decision and moved to maintain direct ties with the global health network.

Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker said on Feb. 3 that his state would join GOARN, making Illinois the second state, after California, to do so. Pritzker said Trump’s withdrawal undermined science and weakened the country’s ability to respond to global health threats.

“I refuse to sit idly by and let that happen,” Pritzker said in a statement, adding that GOARN membership would give Illinois access to global early-warning alerts, outbreak intelligence, technical collaboration, and surge support during major public health events.

California Gov. Gavin Newsom announced his state’s participation on Jan. 23, calling the U.S. withdrawal from the WHO “reckless” and saying it would harm Americans. California became the first U.S. state to join the network after the federal exit.

“California will not bear witness to the chaos this decision will bring,“ Newsom said in a statement. ”We will continue to foster partnerships across the globe and remain at the forefront of public health preparedness.”

Newsom announced the collaboration after meeting WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, and said he is weighing a 2028 presidential run.

The White House did not respond to a request for comment on New York City’s decision by publication time.

Reuters contributed to this report.