US President Donald Trump Terminates Relationship With WHO; Says It Failed To Combat Covid-19 Pandemic

The United States had already suspended its monetary contributions to the United Nation's agency, alleging it of being totally controlled by China soon after the global medical pandemic took the world into its grip.

Donald Trump alleged WHO of being totally controlled by China. (File Photo/ AFP)

Washington: United States President Donald Trump on Saturday announced that America is terminating its relationship with the World Health Organisation (WHO), which he said failed to take necessary precautions to combat and prevent the spread of deadly Coronavirus. Prior to his announcement, United States had already suspended its monetary contributions to the United Nation's agency, alleging it of being totally controlled by China soon after the global medical pandemic took the world into its grip. Trump also said that China has total control over WHO despite only paying $40 million a year, as compared to what US has been paying, which is approx $450 million a year.

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— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) May 29, 2020

While addressing a press conference, US President said that because they (WHO) failed to make the requested and desperately needed reforms, United States has decided to terminate all its relationships with the Word Health Organisation. "Redirecting those funds to other worldwide and deserving urgent global public health needs," Trump said during a media press conference in White House. "We have detailed reforms that they must make and engage with them directly, but they have refused to act,” he said while making the announcement. Earlier this month, Trump threatened had permanently halt funding for WHO if it did not commit to improvements within 30 days, and to reconsider his country’s membership of the agency. Trump suspended US contributions to the WHO ever since April 2020, accusing it of promoting Chinese “disinformation” about the Covid-19 outbreak, although WHO officials denied the accusation, and China said it was transparent and open. "If the WHO does not commit to major substantive improvements within the next 30 days, I will make my temporary freeze of United States funding to the WHO permanent and reconsider our membership," news agency Reuters quoted Trump as saying in a letter to WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus. The Republican leader had been very vocal about how Geneva-based WHO had “done a very sad job” in its handling of the Coronavirus, which emerged in China late last year. Trump said in the letter the only way forward for the WHO was for it to demonstrate independence from China, adding that his administration had started discussing reform with the global health watchdog.