Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they have sought guarantees that, further to the government of the United States' formal notice of withdrawal from the World Health Organization (WHO) from 2021, that government will meet the conditions for withdrawal set out in the 1948 Joint Resolution Providing for membership and participation by the United States in the WHO; and in particular the stipulation that the financial obligations of that government to the WHO must be met in full for the WHO's current fiscal year.

The Department is regularly in discussions with other countries including the United States on a wide range of issues relating to the international response to COVID-19. The United States continues to play an important role on global health, and we will continue to work with the United States and other international partners to tackle the current crisis. The specific conditions of the United States’ withdrawal from the World Health Organization are a matter for the United States and the WHO. The United Kingdom has a strong and committed relationship with the WHO and, as the second largest Member State donor, continues to work closely with the WHO. The UK has already contributed £75 million to help the WHO-led international efforts to stop the spread of the virus and end the pandemic and the UK has no plans to stop funding the WHO, which has an important role to play in leading the global health response to COVID-19.