Connect with us

World News

Trump To Pull Funding Permanently From WHO Over Coronavirus, See When

Published

on

at

Listen to article
0:00 / 0:00
VIDEO: Trump Bids Farewell To Americans, Lists Achievements In Final Speech

The President of the United States, Donald Trump, has threatened to permanently pull funding from the World Health Organisation (WHO) over the Coronavirus pandemic if it does not commit to “major substantive improvements” within 30 days.

Naija News reports that this was disclosed in a letter to the WHO chief shared by Trump on the micro-blogging site, Twitter. In a four-page letter to WHO director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, Trump set out what he called “repeated missteps” by the organisation.

The United States President claimed that the WHO shares the responsibility for a large number of deaths in the crisis even as he alleged that mismanagement on the part of the WHO and reliance on information from China had dramatically worsened the epidemic and spread it globally.

President Trump said he would make a temporary freeze of funding permanent and might also reconsider U.S. membership of the organisation at the end of the 30-day deadline if he saw no improvements.

His words: “The only way forward for the World Health Organisation is if it can actually demonstrate independence from China,” the U.S. president asserted.

The United States President said discussions with the organisation on how to reform the WHO had already begun.

“But action is needed quickly. We do not have time to waste.

“I cannot allow American taxpayer dollars to continue to finance an organisation that, in its present state, is so clearly not serving America’s interests,” Trump concluded.

Naija News recalls that President Trump faced international criticism when he announced in April that he would be halting funding to the WHO while a 60- to 90-day review took place. He has also faced criticism over how the White House initially responded to the virus.

The United States President has repeatedly accused the organisation of failing in its response to the coronavirus pandemic. He said U.S. taxpayers provided between 400 and 500 million dollars a year to the organisation. That funding is largely appropriated by Congress.