WHO at a time of strategic choices, following the announcement of the American withdrawal

"Never waste a good crisis." This adage, rightly or wrongly attributed to Winston Churchill, has become a common theme in recent months in the microcosm of global health, most of whose international organizations are based in Geneva, Switzerland. It resonates particularly strongly with the situation facing the World Health Organization (WHO). In January, US President Donald Trump announced his intention to withdraw the United States from this UN agency, which has been dedicated to health for nearly eighty years.

Expected, of course, since the American billionaire's election in November, this veritable earthquake is shaking the foundations of the old building overlooking the city of Geneva, which is completing its renovation, begun four years ago. With a vengeful decree —Donald Trump had already tried, unsuccessfully, to leave the organization during his first term—the WHO is now forced to reform at a rapid pace and respond to the criticisms leveled at it. This is an extremely critical moment for the organization, but one that many global health stakeholders hope will push it to reexamine the changes it has made in recent years and redefine its priority missions.

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