GENEVA - World Health Organization (WHO) Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus on Saturday depicted as "untrue" the reasons given by the United States for its withdrawal from the global health watchdog.

On the social platform X, the WHO chief noted that the move will make the United States itself and the world "less safe."

US President Donald Trump signed an executive order on Jan 20, 2025, the first day of his second term to formally initiate the US exit from the UN specialized agency. The United Nations received the formal notice two days later.

Under the UN charter, the withdrawal takes effect one year after notice is given.

ALSO READ: US still owes WHO membership dues a year after withdrawal announcement

Commending the contribution made by the United States as a founding member to many of WHO's greatest achievements, Tedros wrote in the X post, "Unfortunately, the reasons cited for the US decision to withdraw from WHO are untrue."

The US move "makes both the US and the world less safe," he said, expressing hope that the United States "will return to active participation in WHO in the future."

Also on Saturday, the WHO issued a statement, voicing regret over the US withdrawal and rejecting accusations made by the Trump administration.

The US withdrawal raises issues that will be considered by the WHO Executive Board at its regular meeting starting on Feb 2 and by the World Health Assembly at its annual meeting in May 2026, it said.

READ MORE: WHO proposing to cut jobs and slash budget by a fifth, memo shows

In dealing with the consequences, the WHO Secretariat "will act on advice and guidance of our governing bodies accordingly," a WHO press official told Xinhua in an email Wednesday.

The United States has yet to pay its outstanding membership dues, according to the official. "As of today, the USA has not paid the invoiced amounts for its assessed contributions for the biennium 2024-2025," the official said.

The US-based National Public Radio (NPR) reported that the outstanding amount is estimated to total some $278 million.