WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus WHO chief urges US to reconsider withdrawal Health
The head of the World Health Organization (WHO) said on Monday that he would welcome a “constructive dialogue” with the US government over President Donald Trump’s decision to withdraw the country from the WHO.
Ready for dialogue with the United States
President Trump’s executive order of January 20 “is regrettable, and we hope the United States will reconsider its decision,” WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said in a speech to the organization’s Executive Board on Monday.
He said he would welcome the opportunity to “preserve and strengthen the historic relationship between WHO and the United States.” Dr. Tedros disagreed with the American arguments, stressing that over the past seven years, WHO has carried out the most ambitious reforms in its history.
Expanding the donor base
The United States, it should be recalled, is the organization’s largest donor, providing about 14 percent of its $6.9 billion budget. The head of the WHO also noted that reducing dependence on the United States and other major donors is “a key element of a long-term plan to expand the donor base.”
Fighting COVID-19
Dr. Tedros rejected accusations that WHO had failed to cope with the COVID-19 pandemic. “Since we first heard about ‘viral pneumonia’ in Wuhan, we have asked for more information, activated our emergency management system, alerted the world, convened international experts, and issued detailed advice to countries to protect their populations and health systems – all before the first reported death from the new disease in China on 11 January 2020,” the WHO chief recalled.
He also rejected any accusations that the organization was subject to “undue political influence” from some Member States. “WHO is impartial and serves all countries and all people. Our Member States come to us with requests for everything, and we always try to help as best we can. But if a request is not supported by scientific evidence or runs counter to our mission to support global health, we politely decline,” Dr. Tedros stressed.