Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus announced the creation of the WHO foundation during a virtual briefing (File)
GENEVA / ZURICH:
The World Health Organization announced on Wednesday the creation of a foundation to tap new sources of funding that could help alleviate a possible shortage of cash as it leads the global fight against the coronavirus pandemic.
Announcing the creation of the WHO Foundation during a virtual information meeting, WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus denied that the decision was linked to “recent funding problems”, saying it was in preparation for years.
President Donald Trump has threatened to suspend funding to the United States, WHO’s largest donor, after criticizing his handling of the pandemic and accusing it of being centered on China. In a letter to Tedros last week, Trump called on the UN agency to initiate reforms within 30 days.
Tedros said at a press conference that the body has “repeatedly” warned of a pandemic in recent years. Countries have identified gaps in their pandemic preparedness, but funding has not materialized, he said.
“Finance these plans and make sure countries are ready to fight – to end the current one, but to prepare for the next epidemic, which may happen because we are still vulnerable,” he added. .
Tedros said this month that the WHO annual budget of about $ 2.3 billion is “very, very small” for a global agency, close to that of a medium-sized hospital in the developed world .
He also said the sources of funding were too uncertain.
The WHO Foundation is being established as an independent granting agency which will support the efforts of the United Nations agency to meet the most pressing global health challenges by raising new funds from “non-traditional sources”.
Its founder, Thomas Zeltner, a former health secretary from Switzerland, told Reuters he hoped for donations from wealthy individuals as well as corporations and the general public.
At the same briefing on Wednesday, WHO emergency program chief Mike Ryan reiterated that the body advised against using hydroxychloroquine to treat COVID-19 – a drug that Trump has said take.
(With the exception of the title, this story was not edited by GalacticGaming staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
