Biden’s US to resume WHO funding
America to also join Who-led global vaccine distribution drive called COVAX
WASHINGTON/BEIJING: The US will resume funding for the World Health Organization (WHO) and join its COVAX programme that aims to share coronavirus vaccines fairly around the world, American President Joe Biden’s top adviser on the pandemic, Dr Anthony Fauci, said on Thursday.
“I am honoured to announce that the United States will remain a member” of the WHO, Fauci told a virtual meeting of the world body. This was the first public statement by a member of Biden’s administration to an international audience - and a sign of the priority that the new president has made of fighting Covid-19 both at home and with global partners.
Fauci said Biden will issue a directive on Thursday that shows US intention to join the COVAX effort to deploy vaccines to people in need in rich and poor countries. Under Biden’s predecessor Donald Trump, the US had been a high-profile and the most deep-pocketed holdout from the COVAX programme.
The WHO chief and others welcomed the US announcement. “This is a good day for the WHO and a good day for global health,” director-general Tedros Adhanom said. “The role of the United States, its role, global role, is very, very crucial.”
China on Thursday congratulated Biden on becoming the US president and welcomed his decisions to rejoin the WHO as well as the Paris Agreement on the climate crisis.
“With cooperation from both sides, the better angels in China-us relations will beat the evil forces,” foreign ministry spokesperson Hua Chunying told a ministry briefing on Thursday.
Also, China sanctioned several members of the bygone Trump administration, including former secretary of state Mike Pompeo. The sanctions, announced as Biden was taking oath on Wednesday, was in response to punitive measures recently announced by Pompeo.