Amid pandemic onslaught, US opposes plans to strengthen World Health Organization
India Today
The US is resisting proposals to make the World Health Organization more independent, four officials involved in the talks said, raising doubts about the Biden administration's long-term support for the UN agency.
The United States, the World Health Organization's top donor, is resisting proposals to make the agency more independent, four officials involved in the talks said, raising doubts about the Biden administration's long-term support for the UN agency.
The proposal, made by the WHO's working group on sustainable financing, would increase each member state's standing annual contribution, according to a WHO document published online and dated Jan. 4.
The plan is part of a wider reform process galvanised by the Covid-19 pandemic, which has highlighted the limitations of the WHO's power to intervene early in a crisis.
But the US government is opposing the reform because it has concerns about the WHO's ability to confront future threats, including from China, US officials told Reuters.
READ | WHO chief says disappointed with China for delaying probe into origins of Covid-19
It is pushing instead for the creation of a separate fund, directly controlled by donors, that would finance prevention and control of health emergencies.
Four European officials involved in the talks, who declined to be named because they were not authorised to speak to the media, confirmed the US opposition. The US government had no immediate comment.
