'Spreading misinformation about COVID-19': Trump suspended WHO funding

US President Donald Trump announced that he ordered the suspension of the payment of American contributions to the budget of the World Health Organization (WHO) due to the fact that, in his opinion, she could not cope with the coronavirus pandemic. Writes about it with the BBC.

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WHO funding is temporarily suspended for the duration of the investigation, which, according to Trump, will be devoted to "the role of WHO in the serious leadership incompetence and hiding the spread of coronavirus," writes "Voice of America".

The President recalled that at the end of January, WHO leadership opposed the US decision to limit flights to China in the early stages of a coronavirus outbreak.

“Other countries and regions that kept their borders with China open, following WHO recommendations, accelerated the pandemic around the world,” Trump said, adding that this was “one of the great tragedies” and resulted in a missed opportunity to stop the pandemic early its development.

“The reality is that WHO has not sufficiently received, verified or disseminated information in a timely and transparent manner,” Trump said at his daily White House news conference. “The world is counting on WHO to work with countries to ensure that accurate information about international health threats is disseminated in a timely manner, and if this does not happen, to independently convey to the world the truth about what is happening. WHO has failed in this fundamental duty and must be held accountable. After so many decades, the time has come.”

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According to the president, the UN agency spread Chinese misinformation, which led to wider consequences of the epidemic.

Trump instructed to suspend funding until the role of the organization in the events that led to the spread of the virus around the planet far beyond China, where it originally appeared, was clarified.

The US is the largest source of funding for WHO. Last year alone, their contribution amounted to $400 million, or 15% of the organization's budget.

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said now is “not the time to cut resources for the World Health Organization or any other humanitarian organization fighting the virus.”

“Now is the time for unity and for the international community to work together in solidarity to curb this virus and the catastrophic consequences of the epidemic,” said the UN Secretary General.

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Guterrish added that when humanity, through common efforts, turns this difficult page of its modern history, it will be able to fully comprehend the lessons of the fight against the pandemic and the reasons for the spread of the infection so quickly.

Steny Hoyer, leader of the Democratic majority in the US House of Representatives, urged President Trump to reconsider his decision to suspend US funding for WHO.

“Of course, structural changes are needed at the World Health Organization to prevent China and other countries from using it for disinformation, but the way to do that is through engagement through American leadership,” the lawmaker said. “I call on the President to immediately restore critical funding to the World Health Organization and take the steps necessary to ensure that states and communities across the United States have the federal resources they need.”

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