WASHINGTON DC, 14 April 2020:
US president Donald Trump yesterday ordered the suspension of his government’s funding to the World Health Organisation (WHO) in the middle of the coronavirus pandemic.
“Today I’m instructing my administration to halt funding of the World Health Organisation while a review is conducted to assess the World Health Organisation’s role in severely mismanaging and covering up the spread of the coronavirus,” he announced during a press conference at the White House.
Trump justified his decision by using the WHO’s opposition to the closure of borders to combat the spread of the virus. He also blamed the organisation for not having acted sooner and for having not only trusted, but also having “praised” the Chinese government.
“As the organization’s leading sponsor, the United States has a duty to insist on full accountability,” Trump said, adding that Washington contributes US$400-500 million annually, while China contributes about US$40 million.
According to data from the organisation itself, for the 2016-2017 period, the US provided 76% of voluntary contributions – which represent more than three-quarters of the Geneva-based organisation’s budget.
“With the outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic, we have deep concerns whether America’s generosity has been put to the best use possible,” added the president.
Trump, who banned passengers arriving from China in late January, called it “disastrous” and “dangerous” for WHO to oppose travel restrictions from China and other nations.
“Fortunately, I was not convinced and suspended travel from China saving untold numbers of lives.”
The US leader accused the WHO of putting “political correctness above life-saving measures”.
Trump also said that if the WHO had done its job correctly, Covid-19 could have been “contained” in its origin in the Chinese city of Wuhan, with very few deaths and limited economic consequences.
A week ago Trump threatened to suspend US funding to the WHO – accusing it of having a “bias” toward China and of being “wrong” about Covid-19, although he acknowledged that doing so in the midst of a pandemic was perhaps not the most appropriate thing.
In response to these criticisms, WHO director general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus asked to “quarantine” any attempt to politicise the pandemic by calling for national unity and international solidarity to cope with the emergency.
“I was a politician; I know how difficult this could be; I know it. Although it’s difficult it’s the right thing to do. At the end of the day the people belong to all political parties. The focus of all political parties should be to save their people. Please don’t politicise this virus,” said the WHO head, a microbiologist who was Ethiopia’s minister of health and foreign affairs.
– EFE