WHO chief says he will continue leading COVID-19 response after Trump's threat

The World Health Organisation (WHO) chief said that he would continue leading the global fight against COVID-19 after US President Donald Trump threatened to permanently freeze the funding. During his closing remarks at the World Health Assembly on May 19, WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said that the UN health agency is currently focussed on fighting the pandemic with every tool at its disposal.

“We will continue providing strategic leadership to coordinate the global response, and support efforts by countries,” said the top WHO official.

Dr Ghebreyesus emphasised on the commitment of the health agency saying the WHO will continue shipping diagnostics, personal protective equipment and other medical supplies all over the world and bringing together leading experts from around the world to develop technical advice, based on the best science.

“We will continue working with countries and all relevant partners to ensure equitable access to the tools to prevent, detect and treat COVID-19,” he added.

The WHO chief thanked the member states for adopting the resolution which calls for an “impartial, independent and comprehensive evaluation” of the global COVID-19 response and inquiry into the actions of the WHO and “timelines pertaining to the COVID-19 pandemic”. Dr Ghebreyesus said that he will initiate such an evaluation at the earliest appropriate moment.

Read: WHO Member Countries Agree To Independent Probe Of UN Agency's COVID-19 Response

'Commit to major improvements'

On May 19, Trump made public a letter written to the WHO chief in which he gave a 30-day deadline to the UN health agency to make major improvements, warning that otherwise the temporary funding freeze will be made permanent. Trump said that his administration’s probe into WHO’s COVID-19 response confirmed its “alarming lack of independence” from China.

“I will make temporary freeze of United States funding to the World Health Organisation permanent and reconsider our membership in the organisation,” wrote Trump.

Read: Donald Trump Gives WHO 30-day Deadline To Make 'major Improvements'