WHO Reviewing ‘Priorities’ Ahead Of US Exit

https://www.channelstv.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/AFP__20250124__36VU4Z8__v1__Preview__UsPoliticsTrump.jpg

Prior to the United States’ withdrawal from its largest donor, the World Health Organization announced on Friday that it was reviewing its priorities. The organization provides essential services to protect against health threats.

The agency was “freezing recruitment, except in the most critical areas”, and was dramatically cutting back on travel expenditures, the organisation’s chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said in a letter sent to staff on Thursday and seen by AFP on Friday.

According to him, “every meeting must be fully virtual by default unless exceptional approval is sought and granted,” adding technical support missions should be restricted to the most crucial cases.

Donald Trump has repeatedly criticized the WHO for its handling of the Covid-19 pandemic, but on Monday he signed an executive order directing the US to leave.

According to Tedros, “We know this announcement has raised serious questions and concerns for the WHO workforce,” and that it has raised more of our financial issues.

With a limited resource budget, “we are reviewing which activities to prioritize.”

Tedros emphasized that the UN health agency was hopeful that their decision would be reconsidered by the new administration, noting that they were open to discussions about preserving the relationship.

– ‘ WHO protects US ‘ –

Christian Lindmeier, a spokesman for the WHO, warned that US withdrawal would be mistaken.

He told reporters in Geneva that “it’s a concern for global health much more than just for WHO alone.”

He cited the agency’s “critical information on outbreaks and emerging health threats” to the US and other member states.

A sophisticated health intelligence system that can identify, characterize, and assess threats in real time is used by WHO to protect the US.

He highlighted the bird flu outbreak (H5N1), which has claimed one life and infected dozens in the United States, and stressed that concerns had already been raised that crucial information might not be shared.

Lindmeier highlighted that the WHO was “in constant contact with member states” about health issues, including outbreaks.

“If that went silent from the US side, that would be an issue”, he said.

– WHO ‘ ripped us off ‘ –

On January 24, 2025, US President Donald Trump addresses the media before taking Marine One to the White House’s South Lawn in Washington, DC. Trump travels to Asheville, North Carolina, to visit the region devastated by Hurricane Helene. (Photo by ROBERTO SCHMIDT / AFP)

The WHO’s budget and operations would also suffer significantly as a result of the US’s withdrawal.

In its last complete budget cycle, for 2022-23, the United States pitched in $1.3 billion or 16.3 percent of the WHO’s $7.89 billion budget.

A withdrawal can occur a year after official notification and after “the arrears have been paid in full,” according to Lindmeier.

He noted that neither Washington had repaid the roughly $130 million in assessed contributions due in 2024 nor the “now due” $130 million owed to it for 2025.

On Monday, Trump said: “World Health ripped us off”, noting how Washington was paying more than Beijing.

“The WHO continues to demand unfairly onerous payments from the United States, far out of proportion with other countries ‘ assessed payments”, the executive order said, citing China’s bill.