BUENOS AIRES, March 17 (Xinhua) -- Argentina formally withdrew from the World Health Organization (WHO) on Tuesday, Foreign Minister Pablo Quirno said.

He said in a social media post that Argentina communicated this decision through a note addressed to the United Nations Secretary-General on March 17, 2025.

In accordance with the Vienna Convention on the Law of Treaties, the withdrawal takes place one year after that notification.

"Our country will continue to promote international cooperation in health through bilateral agreements and regional forums, fully safeguarding its sovereignty and its capacity to make decisions regarding health policies," Quirno said.

The Argentine government announced the decision to withdraw from the global health body in February last year.

Presidential spokesperson Manuel Adorni told a press conference at the time that President Javier Milei had instructed the Argentine foreign minister to withdraw the country's participation in the UN specialized agency.

The spokesperson said that the decision "gives the country greater flexibility to implement policies adapted to the context and interests that Argentina requires, as well as greater availability of resources, and reaffirms our path towards a country with sovereignty also in matters of health." ■