Argentina formally withdrew from the World Health Organization on Tuesday, March 17th, its foreign minister said, following in the aftermath of the United States taking the same step earlier this year.

The government of President Javier Milei, a close ally of President Donald Trump, had announced its intention to leave the UN health body a year ago, criticizing the WHO’s handling of the Covid-19 pandemic.

The Foreign Ministry said Argentina has now completed the withdrawal process within the timeframe stipulated by international treaties. Foreign Minister Pablo Quirno took to X and posted:

Argentina will continue to promote international cooperation in health through bilateral agreements and regional forums, while fully preserving its sovereignty and its capacity to make decisions regarding health policies. 

Last year, Argentina had declared that “the WHO’s recommendations are ineffective because they are not based on science, but on political interests.”

The United States formalized its WHO withdrawal in January, a year after Trump signed an executive order to exit the multinational grouping on his return to the White House.

In January, WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus claimed he deeply regretted the move, saying it would make the U.S. and the rest of the world unsafe.