Hundreds of WHO officials, donors and diplomats in Geneva meet from tomorrow, at a meeting dominated by one question about how to deal with crises – starting from smallpox to cholera – without the main financier, the United States.
The annual meeting of a week of discussion sessions, voting and decisions continues, and usually reviews the size of the capabilities of the United Nations organization, which was held to counter diseases, approval of vaccines and support health systems around the world.
As for this year, the main issue is to reduce the organization of the organization, given that US President Donald Trump began a year that takes a year to withdraw the United States from the World Health Organization, according to an executive order issued on its first day in the position last January.
“Our goal is to focus on high -valuable elements.”
The discussion will take place to determine these “high -value elements”.
Health officials said that the priority will remain for the WHO work to provide instructions for countries on vaccines and new treatments for various medical conditions, from obesity to HIV.
In one of its presentations of the meeting, which was shared with donors and was seen by Reuters, the World Health Organization indicates that the tasks of approving new drugs and facing diseases will remain without prejudice to them, while training programs and offices can be closed in the richer countries.
The United States has provided about 18% of the World Health Organization funding. A Western diplomat – who asked not to be identified – said that “we must manage our affairs with what we have.”
reducing
Workers have prepared to reduce the number of managers and budgets since Trump’s announcement last January, which came during a wave of orders and aid discounts that obstructed a series of multilateral agreements and initiatives.
The postponement of a year -long withdrawal, under US law, means that the United States is still a member of the World Health Organization and its flag will continue to be outside the organization’s headquarters in Geneva until its official departure date on January 21, 2026.
Days after Trump’s statement, the American president caused a state of ambiguity by saying that he might consider returning to the organization if its employees “cleaned”.
But global health envoys say that no sign has since had no sign of changing his opinion. Therefore, the World Health Organization plans to move forward with a gap in this year’s budget of $ 600 million and 21% discounts over the next two years.
Trump had accused the World Health Organization of misunderstood the Kofid-19 pandemic, which the organization denies.
China takes the initiative
While the United States is preparing to get out of the organization, China is scheduled to become the largest donor of government fees, one of the main sources of funding for the World Health Organization along with donations.
China’s contribution will increase from a little more than 15% to 20% of the total government fees under a comprehensive reform of the agreed financing system in 2022.
“We have to coexist with multilateral organizations without Americans. Life will continue,” China’s ambassador to Geneva told reporters last month.
Others indicated that this could be a suitable time to make a wider comprehensive reform, instead of continuing under the umbrella of a hierarchical sequence for the supportive supporters.
For his part, Anil Sony, CEO of “Ho Foundation”, an independent fundraising institution for the World Health Organization, asked, “Does the organization need all its committees? Do you need to publish thousands of publications every year?”
He said that the changes led to a review of the agency’s operations, and if there what You should have focused on details such as buying fuel during emergency situations.
There was an urgent need to ensure that major projects were not collapsed during the current lack of financing. Sony said that this means going to the donors of special interests in those areas, including pharmaceutical companies and charitable groups.
He added that the “EMA Foundation”, which focuses on children’s health in Africa and which has offices in the United States, South Africa and Uganda recently intervened by offering two million dollars to the global network of measles and measles laboratories, which includes more than 700 laboratories tracking the threats of infectious diseases.
Other works of the World Health Organization include ratification of a historic agreement on how to deal with future epidemics and mobilize more money from donors in an investment tour.
But the focus will remain on funding under the new world order. In the period leading up to the event, the director of the World Health Organization sent an email to the employees asking them to volunteer to be guides, without additional wages.