The World Health Organization (WHO) risks losing its largest donor and hundreds of millions of dollars if US President-elect Donald Trump follows through on his threats to withdraw from the organization.
Oku.AzAccording to the newspaper “Politico” he made such an assessment.
According to experts, this measure could seriously affect the global health system in an extremely tense period.
Contributions from the United States represent about 25% of WHO’s core annual budget (between $162 and $816 million in recent years). Trump already attempted to expel the United States from the organization during his first term as president, accusing the WHO of being under full control of China. Now, back in power, he can take the measure unilaterally without the approval of Congress.
The loss of such a major donor would weaken the organization’s ability to fight cholera and flu in Africa and provide aid in conflict zones such as Gaza and Sudan.
In addition, according to US officials, the country’s pharmaceutical companies could lose the support of the WHO to promote their drugs on the global market. The country will also lose access to the global flu surveillance network and vaccine formulation.
It should be remembered that Trump’s predecessor, Joe Biden, reversed his decision to withdraw from the WHO immediately after taking office in 2021. But now, with Trump’s return to the White House, the future of this important health institution world is once again in question.
