London (CNN)President Donald Trump has redoubled his criticism of the World Health Organization, threatening to permanently withdraw funding and cancel US membership even as it deals with a devastating global pandemic.
In a letter to WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus on Monday, Trump bemoaned “repeated missteps by you and your organization” and said he would permanently halt financial contributions if the WHO does not “commit to major substantive improvements in the next 30 days.” Trump temporarily suspended funding to the organization last month.
The threat is in line with Trump’s track record of extracting the US from various international bodies and treaties.
But it’s a remarkable ultimatum for an American President to issue during a global public health crisis which has so far claimed more than 300,000 lives.
The move, made after the first day of the WHO’s annual summit, leaves Trump isolated on the global stage. China called on the US to “stop the blame game” on Tuesday, while the EU said “it is not the time for finger pointing”. Leaders of several countries, including France and Germany, also stressed the importance of the WHO’s work in battling the pandemic during Monday’s meeting.
If Trump follows through on the threat, however, it could have significant consequences in the US and around the world.
The WHO is a UN agency founded in 1948, only several years after the UN itself was formed. The agency was created to coordinate international health policy, particularly on infectious disease.
The organization is comprised of and run by 194 member states. Each member chooses a delegation of health experts and leaders to represent the country in the World Health Assembly, the organization’s decision and policy-making body.
The member states directly control the organization’s leadership and direction — the assembly appoints the WHO director general, sets its agenda and priorities, reviews and approves budgets, and more. The WHO has more than 150 field offices globally, where staff on the ground work with local authorities to provide guidance and health care assistance.
Source: Trump is threatening to pull the US out of the WHO. What does that actually mean?
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