Global health agency begs Trump to restore funding

Daily Report February 03,2025


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Global leaders have been urged to pressure President Donald Trump to rescind his executive order halting U.S. funding to the World Health Organization (W.H.O.), as concerns mount over the financial implications of this decision.

The United Nations health agency faces significant budgetary challenges, with the U.S. previously contributing approximately $988 million for 2024-2025, representing about 14 percent of the organization’s total $6.9 billion budget. This makes the United States the W.H.O.’s largest financial supporter.

Recent budget documents have revealed that the W.H.O.’s emergency response capabilities heavily depend on American funding. The situation became more pressing after Trump’s January 20 withdrawal decision.

During the signing of the executive order, Trump addressed the funding disparity between the U.S. and China. “That’s a big one,” Trump said. “So, we paid $500 million to [the] World Health Organization when I was here, and I terminated it. China, with 1.4 billion people, we have 350 … nobody knows what we have because so many people came in illegally.

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“But, let’s say we have 325, they have 1.4 billion, they were paying $39 million, we were paying $500 million. Seemed a little unfair to me, so that wasn’t the reason, but I dropped out.”

Following Trump’s executive order, the W.H.O. has attempted to recover funds from the U.S. for previous expenses, but these efforts have largely been unsuccessful. The organization’s financial situation has deteriorated further as the U.S. has not fulfilled its 2024 contribution commitments.

The matter is expected to be addressed during the W.H.O.’s executive board meeting, scheduled from Monday through February 11, with 34 high-ranking officials, including numerous national health ministers, in attendance.

W.H.O. Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus addressed the situation at a recent financial meeting, noting that the organization continues to share certain data with U.S. scientists. “We continue to give them information because they need it,” Tedros said according to AP, urging member countries to contact U.S officials.

“We would appreciate it if you continue to push and reach out to them to reconsider.”