WHO CHIEF TEDROS ADHANOM GHEBREYESUS SAID HE REGRETTED U.S. PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP’S DECISION TO PULL FUNDING FOR THE AGENCY AND CALLED FOR GLOBAL UNITY TO BATTLE THE CORONAVIRUS PANDEMIC.
‘STATE OF SHOCK’ Gates among many to condemn Trump announcement
GENEVA/ZURICH • The head of the World Health Organization said he regretted U.S. President Donald Trump’s decision to pull funding for the agency and called for global unity to fight the new coronavirus pandemic.
Trump’s move to halt funding to the WHO over its handling of the infection prompted condemnation on Wednesday from world leaders as recorded global infections passed the 2 million mark and deaths rose to nearly 133,000. The U.S. has reported about 623,000 cases of the virus and has had about 27,600 deaths.
“The United States of America has been a long-standing and generous friend of the WHO and we hope it will continue to be so,” WHO Director General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said. “We regret the decision of the president of the United States to order a halt in the funding to the WHO.”
He said the agency would assess its performance in the crisis as it does after every such occurrence.
“In due course WHO’s performance in tackling this pandemic will be reviewed by WHO’s member states and the independent bodies that are in place to ensure transparency and accountability,” he said.
In addition to fighting COVID-19, the WHO helps many of the world’s poorest and vulnerable people who are struggling with diseases and other conditions, Tedros said. Its programs include polio, measles, malaria, Ebola, HIV, tuberculosis, malnutrition, cancer, diabetes, and mental health.
The U.S. is the largest donor to the WHO, providing more than $563 million in 2019, roughly 15 per cent of its budget.
It’s unclear when any halt in U.S. payments would take effect or how much authority Trump has to suspend disbursements, which are authorized by Congress. Administration officials signalled the suspension would be for 60 days.
Philanthropist and Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates criticized Trump’s decision.
“Halting funding for the World Health Organization during a world health crisis is as dangerous as it sounds,” Gates tweeted on Wednesday. “Their work is slowing the spread of COVID-19 and if that work is stopped no other organization can replace them. The world needs @WHO now more than ever.”
The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, the family’s giant philanthropic initiative, is the next biggest donor to WHO after the U.S., accounting for close to 10 per cent of the United Nations agency’s funding.
The criticism from Gates, whose foundation has committed up to $140 million as part of the global response to the pandemic, comes as Trump has attempted to deflect blame for the U.S. administration’s failure to respond vigorously and early to the deadly novel coronavirus.
Also defending the WHO was UN Secretary General António Guterres who, while not naming Trump, said that it was “not the time to reduce the resources for the operations of the World Health Organization or any other humanitarian organization in the fight against the virus.”
“Now is the time for unity and for the international community to work together in solidarity to stop this virus and its shattering consequences,” he said.
Others, such as the American Medical Association, called Trump’s announcement late on Tuesday to cut WHO funding “a dangerous step in the wrong direction.”
“Cutting funding to the WHO — rather than focusing on solutions — is a dangerous move at a precarious moment for the world,” the organization said. “The AMA is deeply concerned by this decision and its wide-ranging ramifications, and we strongly urge the president to reconsider.”
The president has blasted the WHO for being too deferential to China, saying it has taken the country’s claims about the coronavirus “at face value” and failed to share information about the pathogen as it spread.
Trump’s attack is intended to deflect attention from his own shortcomings in tackling the emergency, according to Robert Yates, executive director of the Centre for Universal Health at Chatham House, a London-based think-tank.
“I think we’re all reeling a bit,” he said. “We are in a state of shock that President Trump could do something as ridiculous as this at this time.”
With an annual budget of $2.2 billion in 2018, the agency is already underfunded, Yates said.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau refused to join the escalating global debate, insisting the country remains focused on working with experts around the world to combat the pandemic. Canada’s annual WHO support is in the “tens of millions,” he said.
WHO director general Tedros said: “WHO is reviewing the impact on our work of any withdrawal of U.S. funding and we will work with partners to fill any financial gaps we face and to ensure our work continues uninterrupted.”
But now was the time for the world to be united in its common struggle against the outbreak.
Dr. Mike Ryan, WHO’s top emergencies expert, said that there would be opportunities in coming months to discuss WHO’s budget with its other 193 states.
“We are laser-focused on doing a very important job and that is suppressing this virus and saving lives,” Ryan said. “This is all hands on deck ... Everybody has something to bring to the table.”
CUTTING FUNDING TO THE WHO ... IS A DANGEROUS MOVE AT A PRECARIOUS
MOMENT.