The US decision to stop funding for the World Health Organization (WHO) has been severely condemned across the world. President Donald Trump announced on April 15, Wednesday, that the US would stop funding the WHO pending an investigation into the alleged mismanagement of the COVID-19 pandemic by the UN agency.
United Nations secretary-general António Guterres said that the WHO “is on the front lines, supporting member States and their societies, especially the most vulnerable among them, with guidance, training, equipment and concrete life-saving services.” He said that now is the time for unity and for the international community to work together in solidarity to stop this virus and its shattering consequences. The Chinese, Russian and German governments, and the head of the African Union also criticized the move. The editor-in-chief of the Lancet, Richard Horton, called the decision a crime against humanity, adding “Every scientist, every health worker, every citizen must resist and rebel against this appalling betrayal of global solidarity.”
The US is the single largest contributor to the agency, covering close to 15% of its total annual budget. A shortage of funds will seriously affect not only WHO’s capacity to deal with the crisis on a global level, but also dent its standing as an international agency.
Trump also claimed to have initiated an investigation into the supposed mismanagement of the crisis by the WHO, and its alleged failure to act in time to contain the virus at its source. He added that the investigation will take anywhere between 60 to 90 days in total, and until the US gets answers to its questions, the funds will be withheld.
Meanwhile, opposition Democratic Party leaders have condemned the decision as a way for Trump to deflect responsibility and blame for major errors made by his own administration.
Democratic Senator and member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, Chris Murphy, said in a statement, “There is a very coordinated effort among the White House and their allies to try to find scapegoats for the fatal mistakes that the president made during the early stages of this virus.”
