The United Nations has confirmed that United States will leave World Health Organization in next year.

Washington has recalled all US government personnel working with the WHO and ordered them to cease participating in negotiations on a WHO-led global treaty on dealing with pandemics.

With the departure of the US, the WHO will lose its most important financial backer as Washington contributes about 18 percent of the organization’s funding.

According to experts, ceasing this contribution will impact the global health agency’s ability to address major crises from tuberculosis to HIV/AIDS and global pandemics.