California has become the first U.S. state to join the World Health Organization's Global Outbreak Alert & Response Network (GOARN), Governor Gavin Newsom announced on January 23. The move comes as the U.S. federal government finalizes its withdrawal from the WHO, a decision Newsom criticized as "reckless" during a press briefing this week.
Newsom solidified the partnership during a meeting with WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus at the World Economic Forum in Switzerland. The collaboration aims to enhance California’s capacity to detect and respond to emerging health threats, particularly those with pandemic potential.
"California will not bear witness to the chaos this [federal] decision will bring," Newsom stated, emphasizing the state’s commitment to global health partnerships. GOARN, a WHO-coordinated network of public health institutions and governments, enables rapid information-sharing and response coordination during outbreaks.
Public health experts note the decision positions California to access real-time global disease surveillance data, a critical resource as climate change and urbanization increase cross-border health risks. The state’s participation could serve as a model for other regions seeking to bypass geopolitical barriers to health security.
