As President Donald Trump withdraws the United States from the World Health Organization (WHO), California Governor Gavin Newsom announced on January 23 that California would become the first – and currently the only – state to join WHO's Global Outbreak Alert & Response Network (GOARN), strengthening public health preparedness and rapid response coordination.

During his recent trip to the World Economic Forum in Switzerland, Newsom met with WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus to discuss collaboration to detect and respond to emerging public health threats.

Newsom stated: "The Trump administration's withdrawal from WHO is a reckless decision that will hurt all Californians and Americans. California will not bear witness to the chaos this decision will bring. We will continue to foster partnerships across the globe and remain at the forefront of public health preparedness, including through our membership as the only state in WHO's Global Outbreak Alert & Response Network."

GOARN is a WHO-coordinated international network that brings together hundreds of public health institutions, national governments, academic centers, laboratories and response organizations worldwide. Its mission is to rapidly detect, verify, assess and respond to emerging public health threats – particularly those with cross-border or pandemic potential.