Berlin, 21 January 2025 (dpa/MIA) - German Health Minister Karl Lauterbach on Tuesday criticized newly inaugurated US President Donald Trump's plans to withdraw from the World Health Organization (WHO).

Lauterbach called Trump's announcement a serious blow to the international fight against global health crises.

Without US contributions, it will be much more difficult to help countries affected by infectious diseases or environmental disasters, Lauterbach said.

Many WHO programmes aimed at responding to famines, natural disasters and wars are financed through funds from the US, Lauterbach said. He also stressed that global health security is in the interest of all countries, including the US.

"Hundreds of thousands of people would be at risk, many children in particular," warned Lauterbach.

He said that Germany, as a long-standing partner of the WHO, is aware of its responsibility and has increased its WHO contributions in recent years.

Trump previously attempted to pull the US out of the WHO in 2020 during his first term in office, but the move was cancelled by his successor, Joe Biden, in 2021 before it took effect.

In an executive order on Monday, Trump stated that the organization had reacted poorly to the coronavirus pandemic and was demanding unfair contributions from the United States.

Photo: EPA