Biden administration confirms it will continue official relationship with WHO

On the first day of the new presidential term, officials from the Biden administration announced that the United States will not withdraw from the World Health Organization and will continue funding the U.N. agency, countering the pullback of Donald Trump, who felt the organization handled the outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic poorly.

Dr. Anthony Fauci will lead a U.S. delegation to the U.N. agency's executive board, a role he will assume later this week during a meeting. 

"The W.H.O. plays a crucial role in the world's fight against the deadly Covid-19 pandemic as well as countless other threats to global health and health security," wrote President Biden on Wednesday in a letter to the secretary-general of the United Nations. "The United States will continue to be a full participant and a global leader in confronting such threats and advancing global health and health security."

"I am honored to announce that the United States will remain a member of the World Health Organization," Dr. Fauci said during a virtual meeting of the WHO on Thursday morning. Fauci confirmed the Biden administration will resume "regular engagement" with the standing body, and will "fulfill its financial obligations to the organization."