Trump’s move to stop WHO funding is “indefensible”

by



[ad_1]

Tánaiste and Foreign Minister Simon Coveney described the decision of the President of the United States, Donald Trump, to stop the United States funds for the World Health Organization as “indefensible”.

The President of the United States, Donald Trump, announced yesterday that his country would cut funds for the WHO for mishandling the coronavirus pandemic.

In a tweet this morning, Mr. Coveney described the move as an “indefensible decision.”

He said that in the midst of a global pandemic, many vulnerable people depend on WHO, and that deliberately undermining funds and confidence on this point was “shocking.”

“Now is the time for global leadership and unity to save lives, not division and blame,” Coveney said.

Mr. Coveney’s comments came when a former WHO director said he does not believe the United States. USA Continue with plans to stop funding from the UN health agency.

Speaking on RTÉ’s Today with Sean O’Rourke, Professor Anthony Costello said that for the United States to follow through on this order “would be extremely damaging to the reputation of the United States around the world, especially given the support that WHO provides to poorest countries in the world in terms of testing and research and development. ”

The Global Health professor at University College London said Trump has been hostile to the UN and has made similar threats in the past and this is only a “short-term attempt to divert attention from his own media performances.” .

He said the WHO has been dealing with “underfunding and neglect” for some time and that the organization’s funding has been reduced progressively over the past 20 years.

Read more:
The latest coronavirus stories
Live: updates as they happen

Professor Costello said that in early February, the WHO requested $ 675 million “to earmark for its global health-strengthening program for this virus.”

He said he spoke to WHO Director-General Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus a month later, who told him they had received € 1.2 million from the world.

“That is the scale of WHO underfunding and negligence that they have to deal with,” said Professor Costello.

Regarding Trump’s claims that the WHO had promoted China’s “disinformation” about the virus that likely led to a larger outbreak than would otherwise have occurred, Professor Costello said the organization may have been ” too deferential “with China, but he had to make him manage the situation and ensure that a mission can access the country.

“You can criticize them for being too respectful, but the problem for the WHO is that they have to work with countries that hide data, that hide things and that they only have to do everything possible to enter as soon as possible because if they disturb the country, they may not have access “.

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said “this is not the time to cut resources for the operations of the World Health Organization or any other humanitarian organization” in the fight against the coronavirus.

“I think the World Health Organization should be supported, as it is absolutely central to the world’s efforts to win the war against Covid-19,” he said.

The European Union joined the global condemnation of Trump’s decision and said it was not justified during the coronavirus pandemic.

“I deeply regret the United States’ decision to suspend funding to WHO. There is no reason to justify this move at a time when its efforts are more necessary than ever,” said EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell, On twitter.

Trump said yesterday at the White House press conference that the WHO “had failed in its basic duty and must be held accountable.”

He said the group had promoted China’s “disinformation” about the virus that likely led to a larger outbreak of the virus than would have occurred.

The United States is the largest general donor to the Geneva-based WHO, contributing more than $ 400 million in 2019, about 15% of its budget.

Withholding of funds was expected. Trump has been increasingly critical of the organization as the global health crisis has continued, and has reacted angrily to criticism of his administration’s response.

Trump followed through on his announcement, which generated immediate condemnation, despite a major setback within his administration, especially from top health advisers, a US official told Reuters.

The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, did not mention the names. But the opposition apparently was based in part on concern to undermine international cooperation in the fight against the virus.

The president of the American Medical Association, Dr. Patrice Harris, called it “a dangerous step in the wrong direction that will not facilitate the defeat of Covid-19” and urged Trump to reconsider.

Democratic Rep. Nita Lowey, who heads the United States House of Representatives Committee that sets government spending, said Trump was making a mistake.

“The coronavirus can not only be defeated here in the United States, it has to be defeated in every conceivable place around the world,” it said in a statement.

Trump recently accused the WHO of being too lenient with China in the early days of the crisis, despite praising China in January for its response and transparency.

He said the United States’ review of the WHO’s role “in severe mismanagement and covering up the spread of the coronavirus” would likely take 60 to 90 days.

The death toll in the United States from Covid-19 yesterday surpassed 25,700, from more than 600,000 known infections in the United States, according to a Reuters count.

Millions of Americans have lost their jobs, and the United States economy has been paralyzed because citizens have stayed home and businesses closed.

The WHO has asked for more than $ 1 billion to finance operations against the pandemic. The agency needs more resources than ever as it leads the global response to the disease.

Paramedics take a patient to NYU Langone Health hospital

Dr. Amesh Adalja, principal investigator at the Johns Hopkins University Health Safety Center, said the WHO does make mistakes and may need reform, but that the work needs to be done after the current crisis has passed.

“It is not in the midst of a pandemic that you do this kind of thing,” he said.

Trump has long questioned the value of the United Nations and has scorned the importance of multilateralism while focusing on a “America First” agenda.

Since taking office, Trump has resigned from the UN Human Rights Council, the UN cultural agency UNESCO, a global agreement to address climate change and the nuclear deal with Iran.

Meanwhile, New York City, the US city most affected by the coronavirus pandemic, revised its officially highest Covid-19 death toll to more than 10,000, to include people presumed dead from the disease but never examined. .

The new cumulative number of “confirmed and probable Covid-19 deaths” released by the New York City Department of Health marked a staggering increase of more than 3,700 deaths formally attributed to the virus since March 11.

The 60% increase in reported deaths underscored the huge losses suffered in the city.

Louisiana, another coronavirus hot spot, and California also reported daily spikes in deaths, despite tentative signs across the country in recent days, the outbreak began to slow.

Customers practice social distancing while waiting to buy seafood in New Orleans

However, David Reich, president of Mount Sinai Hospital in New York, said he did not believe “people should be celebrating prematurely.”

That cautious note was also issued by Trump’s top infectious disease adviser, Dr. Anthony Fauci, who said Trump’s May 1 goal to restart the economy was “too optimistic.”

Dr. Fauci, echoing many governors, said health officials must first be able to quickly detect the virus, isolate new cases, and locate new infections.

Trump earlier lashed out at Democratic state governors, after New York State Governor Andrew Cuomo said he would reject any presidential order to reopen the economy too soon, saying on Twitter that ‘Mutiny on the Bounty’ is one of his favorite movies.

But he toned down his comments at the White House briefing by saying he would “authorize” governors, despite some experts’ doubts that the presidency has such powers, to implement plans in their states at the appropriate time.



[ad_2]