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The United States contributed nearly US$900 million to the WHO budget for 2018-19, according to information on the agency’s website.
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That represents one-fifth of its total US$4.4 billion budget for those years. The U.S. gave nearly three-fourths of the funds in “specified voluntary contributions” and the rest in “assessed” funding as part of Washington’s commitment to U.N. institutions.
A more detailed WHO budget document provided by the U.S. mission in Geneva showed that in 2019, the United States provided US$452 million, including nearly US$119 million in assessed funding. In its most recent budget proposal from February, the Trump administration called for slashing the U.S. assessed funding contribution to the WHO to US$57.9 million.
More than 125,000 deaths worldwide, including more than 25,000 in the U.S., have been blamed on the coronavirus, according to Johns Hopkins University.
Last week, US President Donald Trump blasted the WHO for being “China-centric” and alleging that it had “criticized” his ban on travel from China as the coronavirus outbreak was spreading from the city of Wuhan.
The WHO generally takes care not to criticize countries on their national policies, and it was not immediately clear what specific criticism Trump was alluding to.
Trump himself showed deference to China at the beginning stages of the outbreak.
“China has been working very hard to contain the Coronavirus,” he tweeted January 24. “The United States greatly appreciates their efforts and transparency. It will all work out well. In particular, on behalf of the American People, I want to thank President Xi!”
Asked Tuesday about the appropriateness of seeking to cut the WHO’s funding in the middle of a worldwide viral outbreak, Trump said the review would last 60 to 90 days.
“This is an evaluation period, but in the meantime, we’re putting a hold on all funds going to World Health,” Trump said. He said the U.S. will continue to engage with the WHO in pursuit of “meaningful reforms.”
Trump has also complained that other countries give substantially less than the U.S., singling out China.-AP. Photo: Xinhua
In January, WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus met with Chinese President Xi Jinping in Beijing and praised his containment of the coronavirus — even after China allowed it to spread unchecked in its crucial early stages.