US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said that it is necessary to carry out a fundamental reform in the World Health Organization after it has shown itself in the situation with coronavirus. The United States, the organization’s largest donor, may never resume funding.
“I believe that we need to look very seriously at what is happening at WHO and what to do based on the outcome of this situation,” Pompeo said in an interview with Fox News on Wednesday evening.
“We already carried out the reform in 2007, so this is not the first time we are faced with flaws in this organization, which is a UN structure,” he added. “WHO needs structural reform.”
US President Donald Trump suspended funding for WHO last week, accusing the organization of bias in favour of China and spreading “misinformation” provided by Beijing about coronavirus. WHO officials deny this, and China insists that it acted transparently and openly.
In 2019, WHO’s funding from Washington exceeded $ 400 million, representing about 15 percent of the organization’s budget.
Answering a question about whether he does not exclude the possibility of a change in the leadership of WHO, Pompeo said: “Moreover, it is likely that the United States will never resume the allocation of WHO funds. Perhaps even more drastic changes will be required. ”
