Those who care about the future of the UN and its specialized agencies (including WHO) should be concerned about a bill introduced quietly to the US Congress in early January that calls for the United States to pull out of the United Nations and WHO.
The bill, H.R. 193 — known as the American Sovereignty Restoration Act — is on the US Congress website (https://www.congress.gov/bill/115th-congress/house-bill/193).
It was introduced to the House on January 3 and referred to the Committee on Foreign Affairs. The official summary of the bill is as follows:
“This bill repeals the United Nations Participation Act of 1945 and other specified related laws. The bill requires: (1) the President to terminate U.S. membership in the United Nations (U.N.), including any organ, specialized agency, commission, or other formally affiliated body; and (2) closure of the U.S. Mission to the United Nations. The bill
prohibits: (1) the authorization of funds for the U.S. assessed or voluntary contribution to the U.N., (2) the authorization of funds for any U.S. contribution to any U.N. military or peacekeeping operation, (3) the expenditure of funds to support the participation of U.S. Armed Forces as part of any U.N. military or peacekeeping operation, (4) U.S.
Armed Forces from serving under U.N. command, and (5) diplomatic immunity for U.N. officers or employees.”
According an Inter-Press Service News Agency article by Baher Kamal entitled “Trump to Pull Out of the UN, Expel It from the US?” (http://www.ipsnews.net/2017/01/trump-to-pull-out-of-the-un-expel-it-from-the-us/), “While its official title says it seeks to end membership in the U.N., there are several other key components of the bill which include: ending the 1947 agreement that the U.N. headquarters will be housed in the U.S., ending peacekeeping operations, removing diplomatic immunity, and ending participation in the World Health Organization. Should the bill pass, the Act and its amendments will go into effect two years after it has been signed.”
Chris Zielinski
Blogs: http://ziggytheblue.wordpress.com and
http://ziggytheblue.tumblr.com
Research publications: http://www.researchgate.net
HIFA profile: Chris Zielinski: As a Visiting Fellow in the Centre for Global Health, Chris leads the Partnerships in Health Information (Phi) programme at the University of Winchester.