WHO on Brink of Collapse, Admits It May Never Recover After Major U.S. Funding Withdrawal
The World Health Organization (WHO) is scrambling to stay afloat following U.S. funding cuts and diminishing outlays from other traditional Western donors, as it admits it may never recover the capacity needed to respond effectively to future pandemics.
As the global health body began its annual nine-day meeting in Lake Geneva, Switzerland, Matthew Kavanagh, the director of Georgetown University’s Center for Global Health Policy and Politics, said other countries have used the “U.S. disruption”—the cut in aid—“as cover to do their maneuvering, with many countries in Europe reducing aid.”
“The WHO faces an existential crisis that goes well beyond a budget gap to the question of whether this sort of multilateralism can succeed in addressing global health in this new era of nationalism and misinformation,” he said.
Now, countries are concerned about whether the WHO can continue in its current capacity, while questioning its response to the coronavirus pandemic.
Earlier this year, the WHO began slashing costs, proposing a budget for the next two years at just under $4.3 billion—22 percent less than originally planned.
Tedros announced a leadership shake-up this year, including the departure of key adviser Dr. Michael Ryan from his position as emergencies chief.
In January, the WHO responded to President Donald Trump’s decision to withdraw the United States from the UN Health Organization by urging him to reverse the executive order.
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The withdrawal, Trump said, would save the U.S. $500 million annually.
Trump criticized the agency for its handling of COVID-19, also noting that China pays only a small fraction—$39 million—compared to what the U.S. contributes.
“WHO plays a crucial role in protecting the health and security of the world’s people, including Americans, by addressing the root causes of disease, building stronger health systems, and detecting, preventing and responding to health emergencies, including disease outbreaks, often in dangerous places where others cannot go,” the organization said at the time.
Dr. Ashish Jha, who served as White House COVID-19 response coordinator under President Biden, called Trump’s withdrawal a “strategic error.”
“WHO is a pretty essential organization — and with America’s withdrawal, it creates a political vacuum that only one country can fill — and that is China,” Jha told CNN.
Last month, Tedros pleaded for the U.S. to rejoin the agency, claiming it was in the country’s “best interest” to remain.
Tedros said:
“I hope there will be some formal engagement for a very honest and candid dialogue for the U.S. to come back to the World Health Organization.
I’ve said it many times: the U.S. withdrawal from WHO is a lose-lose.
It’s in the best interest of the U.S. to stay in the WHO. It’s a matter of health security — one that keeps the U.S. safe, and the rest of the world safe, by being part of the WHO.
It also has many other benefits for the U.S. to remain within the WHO family.
All the investments it has made are in its own best interest. That’s what we believe, and I hope they will reconsider and rejoin the WHO family.”
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