World Health Organisation chief dismayed at Donald Trump’s decision to halt funding after coronavirus complaints
- ‘When we’re divided, the virus exploits the cracks between us,’ Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus says
- WHO chief says the organisation is assessing how its programmes and capacity would be affected
“We regret the decision of the president of the United States to order a halt in funding to the World Health Organisation,” WHO chief Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said in Geneva, a day after Trump announced the move.
“When we’re divided, the virus exploits the cracks between us,” Tedros said, having opened the briefing with a somewhat solemn reading of the WHO constitution’s clause on public health as a fundamental right “without distinction of race, religion, political belief, economic or social condition”.
Following Washington’s move, Tedros said the WHO was assessing how its programmes and capacity would be affected, and was not yet able to say exactly how much of a financial shortfall the suspension would create.
The WHO would work with partners “to fill any financial gaps we face, and to ensure our work continues uninterrupted”, Tedros said, adding that the organisation’s commitment to “serving all the people of the world without fear or favour remains absolute”.