Donald Trump's administration to restore partial funding for WHO: Report

After halting the funds for the World Health Organisation last month, US President Donald Trump will now restore a part of its previous donations. International media reported on May 15 while citing a draft from Trump administration that said it will ‘agree to pay up what China pays in assessed contributions’ to the United Nations health agency. The US President was criticised to halt all its funds to the organisation on April 14 and accused it of being “China-centric” amid the coronavirus outbreak. 

WHO officials and China had repeatedly denied all US allegations and claimed that they were both honest and transparent in their handling of the global health crisis. Meanwhile, Trump had been adamant that WHO played its role in promoting China’s “disinformation” about the novel coronavirus. The United States was WHO’s largest fund provider and if according to the report it chooses to match China’s donations, the new funding would only be one-tenth of the previous amount that rounded up to $400 million every year. 

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'Now is not the time' 

When Trump had made the announcement of abandoning WHO, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said that ‘now is not that time’ to halt the funds. While talking to a Russian news agency, the UN chief also said that since the COVID-19 pandemic is introducing the world with unforeseen circumstances, it requires ‘unprecedented response’ by the global community. As the coronavirus infections across the world have surpassed four million, Guterres urged the leaders to first tackle the global health crisis and when it is all over, there will be time to ‘look back fully’ and analyse the drastic spread of the disease that originated in China. 

Guterres was quoted by ANI saying, "Once we have finally turned the page on COVID-19, there will be time to look back fully and understand how such a disease emerged and spread its devastation so quickly across the globe, and how all those involved reacted to the crisis. The lessons learned will be essential to address similar challenges effectively, as they may arise in the future."

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(With agency inputs)

Image Source: AP