New Delhi: Donald Trump administration has begun formal process to withdraw United States from the World Health Organisation (WHO), reports said. This move will deprive the WHO of its biggest funding source.
Trump administration has sent a notice to the UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres in this regard, apparently over its ‘sidestepping’ of US concerns and the world body’s ‘collusion with China’ for taking too long to declare Coronavirus a global pandemic.
Withdrawal by July next year, WHO to lose $400 million funding
This follows US President Donald Trump’s repeated outbursts and warning to the world body. Days back, he threatened to withdraw $ 400 million funding to the WHO.
US President Donald Trump has been critical of the UN health body over its handling of coronavirus pandemic.
The withdrawal will be effective in one year, i.e July 6, 2021, and Trump’s likely Democratic opponent in the 2020 Presidential race is ‘certain’ to stop the withdrawal if he wins the election in November.
Sen Robert Menendez (D-N.J.), the top Democrat on the Senate Foreign Affairs Committee, tweeted that the administration informed Congress of the withdrawal.
Trump took WHO to task for ‘being partisan’ to China
In May, Trump had announced that his country is terminating its relationship with the World Health Organisation (WHO).
“China has total control over WHO despite only paying USD40 million a year compared to what US has been paying which is approx USD 450 million a year,” Trump had said.
“Because they have failed to make requested and needed reforms today we will be terminating our relationship with WHO,” Trump had said.
He further said US will be redirecting funds intended for WHO to other organisation working on public health needs.
Worldwide, the number of coronavirus cases have surged past 11 million while the death toll has surpassed 5 lakh.
