The World Health Organization expressed its regret for the decision of the administration of the new US President Donald Trump to announce Washington’s withdrawal from the United Nations Agency, and German Health Minister Karl Loterbach criticized the decision.
Trump accused the “World Health Organization of defrauding us” upon signing a decree, justifying his decision to the gap between American and Chinese financial contributions.
The decree urges the federal bodies to “suspend any transfer, support or resources from the United States government to the World Health Organization in the future”, and called on them to “find reliable American and international partners” capable of “taking over the activities that have previously undertaken the World Health Organization.”
A spokesman for the World Health Organization, Tariq Yassarific, told reporters that the international body “regrets the announcement of the United States of America that it intends to withdraw from the organization.”
“We hope that the United States will retract its position and engage in a constructive dialogue for the health and welfare of millions of people around the world,” he added, hoping that there will be a “constructive dialogue” with the American authorities.
For its part, the European Commission expressed “concerns” on Tuesday regarding Trump’s decision to withdraw from the Health Organization, warning that the move may undermine any future epidemics.
“If we want to stand in front of global health threats, we should have global cooperation,” UNHCR spokesperson Eva Hennerova told reporters. “We are confident that the American administration will consider all these matters before the official withdrawal,” she added.
German criticism
For his part, German Health Secretary Karl Loterbach criticized the planned withdrawal of the United States from the World Health Organization.
Yesterday, Tuesday, Luverach said that US President Donald Trump’s announcement is a severe blow to international control against global health crises, adding that without American contribution, it will be very difficult to help countries affected by infectious diseases or environmental disasters.
Luoeltrach pointed out that many programs to combat the consequences of famines, natural disasters and wars are funded through these funds, and he said: “Then hundreds of thousands of people will be at risk, especially many children.”
Luoeltrak said that Germany – as an old partner of the World Health Organization – is aware of its responsibility, adding that it has increased its contributions to the organization in recent years, noting that global health security is in the interest of all countries, including the United States.