GENEVA, Switzerland (NBC) – The head of the World Health Organization says they regret a decision by the United States to halt funding to the United Nations health body.
At a news conference Wednesday, at WHO headquarters in Switzerland, Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said a review was underway to assess the impact of the funding loss.
President Trump said Tuesday he was instructing his administration to halt funding for the WHO pending a review.
He accused the organization of “severely mismanaging and covering up the spread of the coronavirus.”
Dr. Tedros said the UN health body would review its performance in tackling the pandemic in due course.
“When we are divided,” Tedros said, “the virus exploits the cracks between us. We are committed to serving the world’s people and to accountability for the resources with which we are entrusted. In due course, WHO’s performance in tackling this pandemic will be reviewed by WHO member states and the independent bodies that are in place to ensure transparency and accountability. For that matter, involving all responders this is part of the usual process put in place by our member states. No doubt areas for improvement will be identified and there will be lessons for all of us to learn. But for now, our focus, my focus is on stopping this virus and saving lives.”
The United States is WHO’s largest single donor, contributing between 400 and 500 million dollars a year to the Geneva-based agency.
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