The United States officially notified the World Health Organization (WHO) of its withdrawal in 2020 and completed the process in July 2021. As one of WHO’s largest financial contributors, the U.S. had accumulated significant arrears in assessed contributions—mandatory dues required by WHO’s constitution—prior to its exit. While a country’s obligation to pay future dues ends upon withdrawal, outstanding debts incurred before departure are still legally owed.However, WHO lacks enforcement mechanisms to compel payment. If the U.S. refuses to settle its arrears, the organization has limited legal or political recourse. Although the Biden administration reversed the withdrawal decision in 2021 and resumed funding, whether past dues are fully repaid depends on Congressional appropriations and domestic political will. To date, some—but not all—of the arrears have been covered through subsequent funding.In essence, whether WHO can recover the unpaid dues hinges more on U.S. political willingness than on binding international legal obligations. This situation underscores the vulnerability of global health governance, which remains heavily reliant on the fiscal support of major powers.
美国于2020年正式通知退出世界卫生组织（WHO），并于2021年7月完成退出程序。作为世卫组织最大的资金捐助国之一，美国在退出前已拖欠大量会费。根据世卫组织章程，成员国需按时缴纳评定会费（assessed contributions），这是其法律义务。然而，一旦国家退出，其后续缴费义务即终止，但退出前所欠费用理论上仍应偿还。问题在于，世卫组织并无强制执行机制来追讨欠款。若美国拒绝支付，世卫很难通过法律或政治手段强制其履约。尽管拜登政府在2021年撤销了退出决定并恢复资助，但此前积欠的会费是否全额补缴，取决于美国国会拨款意愿和政治共识。截至目前，部分欠款已通过后续拨款偿还，但并非全部。总体而言，世卫组织能否要回美国欠下的会费，更多取决于美国自身的政治意愿，而非国际法的强制力。这也凸显了全球卫生治理体系对大国财政支持的高度依赖及其脆弱性。
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