WHO creates foundation to tap new funding sources

The WHO Foundation is being created as an independent grant-making entity that will support the organization's efforts to address the most pressing global health challenges

GENEVA : World Health Organization Director General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus announced on Wednesday the creation of a foundation that will enable it to tap new sources of funding, including the general public.

The WHO Foundation is being created as an independent grant-making entity that will support the organization's efforts to address the most pressing global health challenges by raising new funding from "non-traditional sources".

The United States suspended funding to the WHO this year after President Donald Trump complained about its handling of the coronavirus pandemic and accused it of being "China-centric".

Trump also threatened this month to halt funding from the body's top donor altogether if it does not commit to reforms within 30 days.

But Tedros said the creation of the WHO Foundation had nothing to do with "recent funding issues."

He said this month that the body's annual budget of around $2.3 billion was "very, very small" for a global agency, around that of a medium-sized hospital in the developed world.

He also said that the funding sources were too uncertain, being overly reliant on "flexible funding" that can fluctuate.

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