KUALA LUMPUR, April 15 — The United States, the World Health Organization’s (WHO) biggest single funder, will suspend funding to the United Nations health agency.
BBC reported that US president Donald Trump has accused the WHO of failing in its basic duty in its response to the Covid-19 pandemic.
Trump reportedly claimed that the WHO had mismanaged and covered up the spread of the coronavirus after it emerged in China, saying it must be held accountable. He also previously accused the WHO of bias towards China.
“I am directing my administration to halt funding while a review is conducted to assess the World Health Organization’s role in severely mismanaging and covering up the spread of the coronavirus,” Trump was quoted telling a news conference at the White House.
“The WHO failed in its basic duty and it must be held accountable.”
According to the BBC, the US, the biggest single funder for the WHO, provided US$400 million last year, just under 15 per cent of the agency’s total budget.
China’s contribution in 2018-19 reached almost US$76 million in assessed contributions and about US$10 million in voluntary funding.
The US is the worst-hit country in the Covid-19 pandemic, reporting over 600,000 infections and nearly 26,000 deaths.
