Top Financial Donors To The WHO

As the U.S. prepares to withdraw funding, who else supports the WHO?

On April 14, 2020,

President Donald Trump announced that the U.S. would suspend funding to the World Health Organization (WHO), accusing the WHO of mismanaging its response to the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic. According to the NPR, the U.S. was already nearly $200 million behind on payments to the WHO when Trump declared he would halt future contributions.

The world's largest economy will be officially withdrawing completely effective July 6, 2021, at a time when the WHO is notoriously cash-strapped. The annual dues that member companies pay to support its annual budget have been frozen for over a decade.

Outside of the coronavirus pandemic,

Trump's actions threaten the WHO's efforts to provide expertise and coordination on health issues, including polio, tuberculosis, HIV, and malaria. Not participating in WHO decision making would also ensure the U.S. loses its

“seat at the table in shaping global practices and guidelines, crisis response operations, and partnerships,” said the Center For Global

Development, a think tank focusing on reducing global inequality.

“Halting funding for the WHO during a world health crisis is as dangerous as it sounds. The world needs WHO now more than ever,” tweeted tech billionaire and philanthropist Bill Gates.

The Swiss-headquartered agency is funded by fees from 194 member states, as well as voluntary contributions. Historically, the U.S. has been the WHO's largest benefactor, accounting for more than 14% of the WHO's annual budget, financing at around $400 million in 2019.

In July, the WHO commenced an independent review to evaluate the global response to the global pandemic, which will be presented in May 2021 and will help the world understand how to prevent crises in the future.