GENEVA/WASHINGTON – The head of the World Health Organisation (WHO) said on Wednesday he regrets United States President Donald Trump’s decision to pull funding for the agency, but that now is the time for the world to be united in its fight against the new coronavirus.
Trump’s move prompted condemnation from world leaders as reported global coronavirus infections passed the two million mark.
Trump, who has reacted angrily to accusations that his administration’s response to the worst public health crisis in a century was slow and haphazard, had become increasingly hostile toward the United Nations agency before announcing his move on Tuesday.
He said the Geneva-based WHO had promoted Chinese “disinformation” about the virus, which had probably led to a wider outbreak than otherwise would have occurred.
WHO Director General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus told a news conference that the United States “has been a long-standing and generous friend of the WHO, and we hope it will continue to be so”.
“WHO is reviewing the impact on our work of any withdrawal of U.S. funding and we will work with partners to fill any gaps and ensure our work continues uninterrupted,” Tedros added.
WHO special envoy for the outbreak, David Nabarro, told a webinar that anyone seeking to pull funds or criticise the WHO should remember that “this is not just the WHO, this is the whole public health community that is involved right now.”
Trump accused the WHO of failing to investigate credible reports from Wuhan, China, where the virus was first identified in December, that conflicted with Beijing’s accounts about the spread.
Global health campaigner and donor Bill Gates tweeted that “Halting funding for the World Health Organisation during a world health crisis is as dangerous as it sounds … The world needs WHO now more than ever.”
The United States contributed more than $400 million to the WHO in 2019, roughly 15 per cent of its budget.
The international health body has been appealing for more than $1 billion to fund operations against the pandemic, which reached 2 001 548 confirmed cases on Wednesday, including more than 131 000 deaths, according to a Reuters tally.
U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres called for unity and “for the international community to work together in solidarity to stop this virus and its shattering consequences”. (Reuters)
