WHO says it 'regrets' US decision to halt funding
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World Health Organisation (WHO) Director General Dr Tedros Adhanom on Wednesday said that the world health body "regretted" US President Donald Trump's decision to withdraw funding from it.
Trump on Tuesday halted funding to the WHO over its handling of the coronavirus pandemic, drawing condemnation from infectious diseases experts as the global death toll continued to mount.
The decision came after allegations by Trump that the WHO was "China-centric". In a White House news briefing on Tuesday, he claimed that the Geneva-based organisation had promoted China's "disinformation" about the virus that likely led to a wider outbreak than would have occurred otherwise.
"The WHO failed in this basic duty and must be held accountable," Trump added.
Read: Explainer: What the US funds freeze could mean for WHO and its work
Speaking at a news conference, the WHO chief responded by saying that the body did not discriminate and stressed that it is a "time for all of us to be united in our common struggle against a common threat".
He assured critics that the UN's health body was "committed to serving the world’s people, and to accountability for the resources with which we are entrusted".
Talking about the accountability process, Adhanom said: "In due course, WHO’s performance in tackling the Covid-19 pandemic will be reviewed by WHO’s member states and the independent bodies that are in place to ensure transparency and accountability. This is part of the usual process put in place by our member states."
Expressing gratitude to the nations, organisations and individuals who had provided financial support to the WHO, he said the body was "reviewing the impact on its work from the withdrawal of US funding" and would work with its partners to fill the gaps left by the defunding to ensure that its work continued uninterrupted.
There has been strong criticism of Trump's decision, with UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres saying it is "not the time” to reduce resources for WHO's operations.
“Now is the time for unity and for the international community to work together in solidarity to stop this virus and its shattering consequences,” he added.
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Comments (88) Closed
Apr 15, 2020 10:05pm
If you use their money to hail china, what do you expect them to do ?
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Apr 15, 2020 10:06pm
I am surprised, why is he regretting? He is the man responsible for this.
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Apr 15, 2020 10:06pm
mr Tedros must immediately resigns his post
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Apr 15, 2020 10:06pm
Well what else did you expect ?
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Apr 15, 2020 10:10pm
Pakistan will provide funding to WHO
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Apr 15, 2020 10:16pm
You're failed to do what's supposed to be done to protect to people of Earth unfortunately....!
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Apr 15, 2020 10:17pm
I have a very simple suggestion for the CHIEF. Please go home and let a real neutral Young Professional lead this Institution. You had proved yourself a failure.
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Apr 15, 2020 10:17pm
President Trump is right in abandoning the aid for WHO. For almost three months who kept on claiming that Corona virus is not a big issue and it's just a Chinese epidemic. It declared it as pandemic in late March. Other countries should also follow USA
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Apr 15, 2020 10:17pm
All that money to WHO and they cant do anything. Either change the organization entirely or change how they work more efficiently.
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Apr 15, 2020 10:20pm
This is how a failed man runs an organization.
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Apr 15, 2020 10:20pm
These institutions of Neo-liberal order deserved this. This order is falling under its own weight.
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Apr 15, 2020 10:22pm
Why US gives 10 times more money than China does, WHO still keeps praising what China did?
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Apr 15, 2020 10:25pm
What is ‘regret’? Learn from Pakistan, just ‘reject’ everything!
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Apr 15, 2020 10:27pm
The man has turned 'red' and ruined the reputation of WHO.
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Apr 15, 2020 10:28pm
Good decision by US.
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Apr 15, 2020 10:32pm
This guy accused Trump of playing politics with corona virus. I believe this was the main reason for withholding the fund for WHO.
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Apr 15, 2020 10:33pm
He is basically a chemist with controversial career in politics. Dr quack!!!
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Apr 15, 2020 10:40pm
Well amazing thing is america is continually withdrawing from UN missions...self isolation. This is good for the world. Maybe it should leave the UN and then we can get rid of the VETO system and nations can be equal
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Apr 15, 2020 10:46pm
Director General Dr Tedros Adhanom is HISTORY now.
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Apr 15, 2020 10:49pm
This is good time for Pakistan to fill the vacuum by supporting WHO and provide aid to WHO.
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Apr 15, 2020 10:56pm
Congratulations Trump!
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Apr 15, 2020 11:00pm
But entire world is gappy, wait till investigation is carried out against u and ur entire team. U people are travelling entire world in business and first class and obeyed ur nasters china propoganda. Niw entire world is in lockdown and people are dying. Wirld economies have meltdown because of u stooge.
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Apr 15, 2020 11:03pm
Do you know that the WHO head Tedros Adhanom earns a salary of nearly 300,000 dollars (PKR 5,00,00,000) plus other fantastic perks for just sitting in his AC office, wearing a designer suit and failing to give correct decisions.
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Apr 15, 2020 11:05pm
"reviewing the impact on its work from the withdrawal of US funding" and would work with its partners to fill the gaps left by the defunding to ensure that its work continued uninterrupted."
In order words, America and its cheerleaders the Indians do not matter.
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Apr 15, 2020 11:18pm
@Patel D, nice joke in hard times
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Apr 15, 2020 11:24pm
I am here not to talk about China or USA but strongly feel Director General Dr. Tedros Adhanom and his Organization is the cause for spreading this virus worldwide. He should be fired immediately without severance. So many innocent lives lost worldwide. What's the point of running this organization when it fails to deliver repeatedly? When dust settles this Organization needs to be properly audited for any misappropriation of funds.
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Apr 15, 2020 11:26pm
Please don't regret... hope you got millions of dollar from back channel. Just retire and enjoy a wealthy life!
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Apr 15, 2020 11:27pm
Bangladesh just sends Coronavirus protection kits, medicine and 85 tons of food to Maldives.
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Apr 15, 2020 11:39pm
WHO must be held accountable.
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Apr 15, 2020 11:40pm
@Himanshu M, praise of good deeds should be made where due irrespective of politics.
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Apr 15, 2020 11:50pm
WHO must devise alternate funding on a permanent basis so it doesn’t have to rely on whims.
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Apr 15, 2020 11:59pm
We’ll get China to find you. They are obviously lining your pockets
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Apr 16, 2020 12:15am
@Ahsan Ali ,
Absolutely, just let Pakistan know how much???
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Apr 16, 2020 12:17am
@Fastrack ,
Reject what? No issues, all's well from Pakistan's perspective!
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Apr 16, 2020 12:35am
World must boycott China and allies by all means.
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Apr 16, 2020 12:38am
We are least bothered being poor. We are getting all kind of financial packages and loan waivers. What else poor has to do with big people businesses.
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Apr 16, 2020 12:53am
@Pervez, do you really believe nation will ever be equal? Ask China who wants to dominate the world!
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Apr 16, 2020 12:53am
Tough... Trump did the right thing... WHO is accountable to no one.
Gordon D. Walker
Canada
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Apr 16, 2020 12:59am
@M. Saeed, what good deeds?
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Apr 16, 2020 01:16am
Free party is over for wasted health organization
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Apr 16, 2020 01:20am
Let the withdraw the funding. Let the world show US that it can stand on its one two feets, over time. It may come at the expense of some precious lives, but the world will be rid of this colonialist cancerous ideology.
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Apr 16, 2020 01:40am
@Taimoor khan, really, remember we were getting bread and butter from USA for last 40 y in US aid ( not Chinese Loans)
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Apr 16, 2020 01:41am
@Ahsan Ali , who will it beg for that money
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Apr 16, 2020 01:41am
So many recent decisions by WHO, including very public spat with Taiwan, by its current Director Tedros, has brought the organization into disrepute. In the meantime let China fill the gap in funding the WHO. Let us wait and see if China surprises the world.
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Apr 16, 2020 01:43am
@Chandra, No QS
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Apr 16, 2020 02:03am
Nothing is off limits with Trump.
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Apr 16, 2020 02:45am
Please resign DG - to restore credibility and funding.
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Apr 16, 2020 03:28am
President Trump took the right action. I would do exactly the same. WHO failed all the Western countries who are funding this useless organisation. Pathetic. Same goes with FAO, another fat white elephant organisation who is also funded by Western countries but deliver no results.
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Apr 16, 2020 03:30am
@Ahsan Ali , How ??? Mr IK is asking from money everywhere in the world... Please don't Joke..
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Apr 16, 2020 03:37am
Perhaps WHO needs to get rid of all US citizens from its payroll.
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Apr 16, 2020 03:46am
If Dr Tedros Adhanom admitted that he should have done a better job and resigned - the USA would have kept the funding intact. No sense funding an organization when you have no trust/faith in the leader.
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Apr 16, 2020 03:57am
@Lost track , and so must the incompetetnt un chief
we need new blood and neutral leaders
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Apr 16, 2020 03:58am
No problem India will provide the rest. They have a lot of money to support their 1.3 billion and the rest of world.
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Apr 16, 2020 04:15am
Trump should have fired this director.
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Apr 16, 2020 04:30am
Now they should ask funds from China by their great service to CCP by covering the facts and figures which causing the deaths of millions.
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Apr 16, 2020 04:44am
@Ahsan Ali , perfect
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Apr 16, 2020 04:47am
China can fill the gap left by US. Since it’s China who created this problem giving this virus to the world. WHO should have named this virus as CHINA VIRUS GOVID 19.
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Apr 16, 2020 05:00am
@M. Emad, thanks for enlightening us!
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Apr 16, 2020 05:03am
@Patel D, more free advice!
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Apr 16, 2020 06:18am
The only "regrets" WHO Director General Dr Tedros Adhanom should express is his his foolish early support for China's opaque handling of the emerging pandenemic and most recently, his even more astounding support for China's re-opening of the wild animal/fresh meat market in Wuhan!
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Apr 16, 2020 06:20am
@Ahsan Ali , Thank you for cracking jokes in these stressful times.
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Apr 16, 2020 06:35am
World (other than China) regrets the way WHO is working.....ask funds from China
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Apr 16, 2020 06:42am
WHO is part of the UN headquartered in NYC. The UN is literally run on autopilot and remote control from Washington DC. We know for a fact it is what maintains global imperialistic hegemony for the US. If Trump moves to withdraw funding for the US, he will effectively hurt the image of the US and can move to withdraw cash for the rest of the UN. That will decrease the influence of the US which means the imperialistic based empire will continue to collapse. So war mongering that helped stabilize the US economy will lead to shrinkage.
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Apr 16, 2020 06:45am
The WHO and China committed crime together against humanity. Shame.
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Apr 16, 2020 06:56am
Pakistan should step in and cover the funding vacuum left by the US
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Apr 16, 2020 07:17am
Pakistan should also stop its fund to WHO and instruct China to compensate the loss it occured takling Pandemic wuhan Virus
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Apr 16, 2020 07:21am
@Imran Khan,
Trump is right, WHO should be held accountable, delayed alerting the world about approaching pandemic , it’s primary job causing so many deaths and economic mayhem. Is Pakistan not suffering ?
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Apr 16, 2020 07:35am
@Ahsan Ali , wishful thinking
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Apr 16, 2020 07:38am
@Fastrack , smart move bro
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Apr 16, 2020 07:42am
There seems to be some suspecious...WHO was quiet fast to give clean chit to China. In China only one city effected by unknown virus in other parts ..entire counties affected
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Apr 16, 2020 07:49am
China helped Director of WHO elected back in 2017. He felt his loyalties to China. Hiding all facts. He is not clean.
All you need to know about WHO can be summed up in two facts:
Taiwan health officials reported several cases of coronavirus to WHO on December 31 by e-mail.
On January 14, WHO stated that "Preliminary investigations conducted by the Chinese authorities have found no clear evidence of human-to-human transmission of the novel coronavirus (2019-nCoV) identified in Wuhan, China." While the statement is fundamentally correct, it did leave out some compelling information obtained 2 weeks earlier from Taiwan.
A lab that researches bat coronaviruses in Wuhan, China had come under scrutiny by US officials two years before the current global outbreak,
Diplomats sent two “sensitive but unclassified” cables to Washington in 2018, sounding the alarm about the Wuhan Institute of Virology and asking for assistance to help the lab tighten its safety protocols,
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Apr 16, 2020 07:57am
In recent months, the cables have recirculated inside the US government and sparked a discussion about whether the novel coronavirus could have originated at the lab or another in Wuhan, the epicenter of the outbreak, according to the report.
A senior Trump administration official said the cables support the theory that the pandemic was sparked by a lab accident in Wuhan.
Conspiracy theorist started with US killing China's economy, Zionist agenda, one order Israel plan, 5G , then several Economic models, Bill Gates pushing his vaccine agenda etc..
While China hiding behind and may be helping these throwing diversions. In the end, it was an accident, China should have asked world to help. WHO should have been transparent, 2 Million infected world has changed until vaccine available.
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Apr 16, 2020 07:58am
USA funds the WHO largely and it spread misinformation at the behest of the chinese. WHO did not reprimand China too. Nobody would fund such a organization after such a mess.
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Apr 16, 2020 08:02am
Tough... Trump wants accountability for his five hundred million dollars...
Gordon D. Walker
Canada
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Apr 16, 2020 08:07am
WHO miserably failed first time in its history. Its chief must resign taking moral responsibility. Stopping the aid is not the solution. Restructuring WHO with more infrastructure , scientific tools , manpower and epidemic tracking system is tge need of the hour. A Japanese or an Indian must head WHO.
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Apr 16, 2020 08:10am
Dr Tedros Adhanom cheap stunts and pampering China has cost the organization credibility and in financial terms
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Apr 16, 2020 08:32am
Mr Terdros needs to resign for the blunders and appoint an American to this position than appoint someone from 3 world country.
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Apr 16, 2020 08:32am
@Ahsan Ali , As a matter of fact, you already provide WHO 1.5 times the funding made by China. Cheers!
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Apr 16, 2020 08:47am
@Ahsan Ali , First pay the outstanding bills.
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Apr 16, 2020 08:51am
Tedros has been unanimously held guilty. He should resign.
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Apr 16, 2020 09:15am
Understand China will step in to contribute any Shortfall in funding; it has Trillions in US Treasury Bonds.
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Apr 16, 2020 10:28am
Dr Tedros should stay home . It is safer for him and all of US
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Apr 16, 2020 10:35am
@Dr Ahmad - Melbourne ,
"President Trump took the right action. I would do exactly the same. WHO failed all the Western countries who are funding this useless organisation. "
Actually WHO has failed the whole world. There is no country untouched by Corona.
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Apr 16, 2020 10:38am
@Sami Khan , "No problem India will provide the rest. They have a lot of money to support their 1.3 billion and the rest of world."
Why not ask Iron Brother to clean up the mess they created?
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Apr 16, 2020 11:47am
Please do not chase those who are arrogant. Go to China and you will be in a much better position.
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Apr 16, 2020 12:15pm
China made big mistake of celebrating Chinese New Year in February and then allowing chinese people to travel abroad and sending virus overseas.
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Apr 16, 2020 12:45pm
@Prithviraj, once it is with WHO, it is no more "their" money.
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Apr 16, 2020 03:28pm
In the coming days, Pakistan will replace the US in funding the WHO.
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