ISLAMABAD – In positive development, US Secretary of State seek specialexception for seven countries including Pakistan over WHO funding.
Secretary of States Mike Pompeo has recommended not to halt World HealthOrganisation (WHO) funding for programmes to fight coronavirus and polio inseven countries including Pakistan despite US President Donald Trump’scriticism of the UN health body, according to a *Bloomberg* news reportlink.
President Trump had earlier announced that he was directing hisadministration to halt WHO funding pending a review into what he said wasthe organisation’s “role in severely mismanaging and covering up the spreadof the coronavirus.”
The US pays $400 million to $500 million a year to the Geneva-basedorganisation but believes that China, which pays only a fraction of thatamount, has become too influential over the decisions of the organisationand its director-general, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
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President Trump’s orders instigated a heated debate within theadministration, with some officials at the State Department and otheragencies arguing that a funding cut to the WHO would only hinder the fightagainst coronavirus and delay other critical programmes, the publicationnoted.
However, State Department officials informed the National Security Councilthat the WHO is central to the fight against COVID-19 or polio in sevencountries: Afghanistan, Egypt, Libya, Pakistan, Sudan, Syria and Turkey,said a person familiar with the discussions, adding that, adhering toTrump’s instructions from last week to pull up US funding to WHO for a 60to 90-day review would be impractical.
