June 13, 2024
Source: KFF
Photo / Image Source: Unsplash,
Key Facts
The World Health Organization (WHO), founded in 1948, is a specialized agency of the United Nations with a broad mandate to act as a coordinating authority on international health issues, including helping countries mount responses to public health emergencies such as COVID-19.
The U.S. government (U.S.) has long been actively engaged with WHO, providing financial and technical support as well as participating in its governance structure.
The U.S. has historically been one of the largest funders of WHO. U.S. contributions have ranged between $163 million and $816 million annually over the last decade. In 2020, the Trump administration temporarily suspended funding for WHO and initiated a process to end U.S. membership, actions reversed by the Biden administration in 2021.
For the last two years WHO has overseen negotiation processes to update an existing agreement known as the International Health Regulations (IHR), and to establish a potential new “pandemic agreement”. In May, member states approved a set of revisions to the IHR, but decided to extend the negotiation timeline for a pandemic agreement into next year. In addition, in May WHO also launched its first ever “investment round” to mobilize additional resources from existing and new donors.
The outcome of the U.S. presidential election between former President Trump and sitting President Biden later this year will likely have important consequences for whether the U.S. continues to fund WHO and be a member state of WHO, including participating in the World Health Assembly.
Have you taken the vaccine? Were you mandated to? By whom?
Share the wealth of health with your friends and family by sharing this article with 3 people today.
If this article was helpful to you, donate to the Shidonna Raven Garden and Cook E-Magazine Today. Thank you in advance.
Comments