European Union urges Donald Trump to rethink cutting funding to WHO | World News - Hindustan Times
close_game
close_game

European Union urges Donald Trump to rethink cutting funding to WHO

Washington | ByAssociated Press| Posted by: Harshit Sabarwal
May 30, 2020 11:19 PM IST

United States President Donald Trump on Friday charged that the WHO didn’t respond adequately to the pandemic and accused the UN agency of being under China’s “total control.”

The European Union on Saturday urged President Donald Trump to rethink his decision to terminate the US relationship with the World Health Organization as spiking infection rates in India and elsewhere reinforced that the pandemic is far from contained.

The head of the European Union’s executive arm urged United States President Donald Trump to reconsider.(Reuters Photo)
The head of the European Union’s executive arm urged United States President Donald Trump to reconsider.(Reuters Photo)

Trump on Friday charged that the WHO didn’t respond adequately to the pandemic and accused the UN agency of being under China’s “total control.” He said the US was cutting ties with the agency, which receives significant funding from Washington.

Hindustan Times - your fastest source for breaking news! Read now.

The head of the EU’s executive arm urged Trump to reconsider. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said “actions that weaken international results must be avoided” and that “now is the time for enhanced cooperation and common solutions.”

“The WHO needs to continue being able to lead the international response to pandemics, current and future,” von der Leyen said. “For this, the participation and support of all is required and very much needed.”

The US is the largest source of financial support for the WHO, and its exit is expected to significantly weaken the organization. Trump said the US would be “redirecting” the money to “other worldwide and deserving urgent global public health needs,” without providing specifics.

The WHO wouldn’t comment on the announcement but South African Health Minister Zweli Mkhize called it an “unfortunate” turn of events.

“Certainly, when faced with a serious pandemic, you want all nations in the world to be particularly focused ... on one common enemy,” he told reporters.

German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas called Trump’s decision the “wrong signal at the wrong time.” He said Berlin would have “intensive discussions” with Washington to try to convince the US government to continue supporting the UN health agency.

“The number of people infected worldwide is increasing and the crisis is spreading,” Maas told Germany’s Funke media group. “We can’t tear down the dike in the middle of the flood and build a new one.”

In China, where the virus outbreak began, only four new confirmed cases were reported Saturday, all brought from outside the country, and no new deaths. Just 63 people remained in treatment.

After judging the situation there now safe, a chartered flight carrying 200 German managers back to their jobs landed in Tianijin, a port city just east of Beijing. A flight carrying another 200 was due in Shanghai on Thursday.

“I’m really happy that business is starting again,” said Karin Wasowski, a Volkswagen employee, before boarding the flight in Frankfurt. “I’ve been working from a home office but that is, of course, something completely different to being there.”

More than 5,200 German companies operate in China, employing more than 1 million people.

“This is an important step to reconnect China’s and Germany’s economies,” said Jens Hildebrandt, executive director of the German Chamber of Commerce in North China, which helped organize the flights. “It is our common interest to contribute in helping the economy return to normalcy and pre-virus levels.”

Close to 6 million coronavirus infections have been reported worldwide, with more than 365,000 deaths and almost 2.5 million recoveries, according to a tally kept by Johns Hopkins University. The true dimensions are widely believed to be significantly greater, with experts saying many victims died without ever being tested.

As some countries have effectively lowered the rate of infections, they have been moving ahead with relaxing restrictions but are keeping a very close eye on developments.

In South Korea, credited with one of the most successful programs to fight the pandemic, there were 39 new cases reported Saturday, most of them in the densely populated Seoul metropolitan area where officials have linked the infections to warehouse workers. Authorities have so far maintained the phased reopening of schools in the hope that the recent transmissions could be contained quickly.

India registered another record single-day jump of 7,964 cases and 265 deaths. That put the country’s total cases at 173,763 with 4,971 deaths and 82,369 recoveries, according to the Health Ministry.

The government had been expected to end a 2-month-old nationwide lockdown, but instead extended them in so-called containment zones - areas that have been isolated due to coronavirus outbreaks - through June 30.

However, India will allow all economic activities to restart in a phased manner outside those areas starting June 8, according to the Home Ministry. A ministry directive said that includes places of worship, hotels, restaurants and shopping malls.

Russia recorded nearly 9,000 new cases overnight, around the daily level it has been at over the past two weeks as the virus continues to spread.

The national coronavirus task force said Saturday that 4,555 Russians have died of Covid-19, and 396,575 infections have been recorded. The relatively low mortality rate compared with other countries has prompted skepticism domestically and abroad.

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres announced two peacekeepers serving in Mali had died from the virus. There have been 137 confirmed cases of Covid-19 among peacekeepers, the majority in Mali, but these were the first deaths.

The US has been worst hit by the outbreak, with more than 1.7 million cases and almost 103,000 deaths.

Cities and states are under increasing pressure to reopen, however, especially for service industries that had seen customer numbers evaporate. The latest job-loss figures from the US Labor Department brought to 41 million the running total of Americans who have filed for unemployment since shutdowns took hold in mid-March.

But there have been worrying signs that as restrictions are eased, people have not been adhering to social distancing guidelines meant to help prevent the spread of the virus.

On Friday, health officials in Missouri said that they were seeking to “inform mass numbers of unknown people” after a person who attended crowded pool parties over Memorial Day weekend at the state’s popular Lake of the Ozarks tested positive for Covid-19.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel’s office said Saturday that as things stand with the American pandemic situation, if Trump decides to go ahead with the Group of Seven summit in the US as he has suggested he might, she would not attend in person.

Unlock a world of Benefits with HT! From insightful newsletters to real-time news alerts and a personalized news feed – it's all here, just a click away! - Login Now!

Get Latest World News along with Latest News from India at Hindustan Times.
SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON
Share this article
SHARE
Story Saved
Live Score
OPEN APP
Saved Articles
Following
My Reads
Sign out
New Delhi 0C
Friday, March 29, 2024
Start 14 Days Free Trial Subscribe Now
Follow Us On