White House says G-7 leaders agreed to ‘thorough review’ of World Health Organization
Allies of the United States are reconsidering their monetary support of the World Health Organization amid its handling of the coronavirus crisis, according to the White House.
President Trump spoke with G-7 leaders via videoconference on Thursday about the organization’s coronavirus response.
“Much of the conversation centered on the lack of transparency and chronic mismanagement of the pandemic by the WHO. The leaders called for a thorough review and reform process,” the White House said in a statement.
Trump announced earlier this week he was halting funding to the organization while the U.S. reviews the international body’s management of the pandemic. The U.S. is the largest annual contributor to the World Health Organization.
The president accused the organization of failing to report the truth about the spread of the coronavirus outbreak, hiding evidence of human-to-human transmission, and “being very China-centric.”
“The reality is that the WHO failed to adequately obtain, vet, and share information in a timely and transparent fashion,” he said.
WHO Health Emergencies Programme Executive Director Michael Ryan defended the organization’s response to the virus, saying “in the first weeks of January, WHO was very, very clear” about the danger posed by the coronavirus. However, on Jan. 14, the World Health Organization tweeted out a Chinese study claiming the virus could not be passed between humans.
Source: Washington Examiner
