UK pledges £340 million for WHO, calls for end to 'ugly rifts'

 

FILE PHOTO: Britain's Prime Minister Boris Johnson leaves 10 Downing Street, in London, Britain, September 22, 2020. REUTERS/Hannah McKay

 

LONDON (Reuters) - British Prime Minister Boris Johnson will pledge on Saturday a 30% increase in funding for the World Health Organization while urging reforms to the global health body and calling for a revival of cross-border cooperation to end "ugly rifts".

 

Delivering a recorded speech to the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA), Johnson will say the COVID-19 pandemic has increased barriers to trade.

 

He will also present a five-point plan to improve the international response to future pandemics.

 

"After nine months of fighting COVID, the very notion of the international community looks tattered," he will say, according to advance extracts distributed by his office.

 

"Unless we unite and turn our fire against our common foe, we know that everyone will lose. Now is the time therefore ... for humanity to reach across borders and repair these ugly rifts."

 

His plan includes a global network of research hubs, more vaccine manufacturing capacity, and an agreement to reduce export tariffs imposed at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic.

 

He will commit an initial 71 million pounds to the global vaccine partnership known as COVAX to secure purchase rights on 27 million doses, and 500 million to a separate COVAX initiative to help poorer countries access a vaccine.

 

Johnson will also announce 340 million pounds ($433.23 million) in funding for the WHO spread across four years - a 30% increase on the previous four-year commitment - with around a third of the money dependent on reform to the organisation.

 

Britain, along with France and Germany, is expressing support for the WHO, albeit tied to reforms, when the body faces criticism over its pandemic response.

 

The United States gave a year's notice in July that it is leaving the U.N. agency - which was created to improve health globally - after Trump accused it of being too close to China and having mishandled the COVID-19 pandemic.

 

(Reporting by William James; editing by Barbara Lewis)

 

-- © Copyright Reuters 2020-09-26

 

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They should kick mr Gates out of the WHO...he's the boss now but he's never been a doctor.

1 hour ago, Youlike said:

They should kick mr Gates out of the WHO...he's the boss now but he's never been a doctor.

The “boss” of the WHO is Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus: “Dr Tedros holds a Doctorate of Philosophy (PhD) in Community Health from the University of Nottingham and a Master of Science (MSc) in Immunology of Infectious Diseases from the University of London. Dr Tedros is globally recognised as a health scholar, researcher, and diplomat with first-hand experience in research, operations, and leadership in emergency responses to epidemics. (...) 

 

Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus was elected as WHO Director-General for a five-year term by WHO Member States at the Seventieth World Health Assembly in May 2017.

He is the first WHO Director-General to have been elected from multiple candidates by the World Health Assembly, and is the first person from the WHO African Region to serve as WHO's chief technical and administrative officer.”
 

(https://www.who.int/dg/biography)

^Mr Tedros was the Ethiopian Health Minister responsible for covering up epidemics of Cholera in his own country, before being appointed to head the WHO. Basically because he can be bought and manipulated.

 

Quote

A leading candidate to head the World Health Organization was accused this week of covering up three cholera epidemics in his home country, Ethiopia, when he was health minister — a charge that could seriously undermine his campaign to run the agency.

The accusation against Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus was made by a prominent global health expert who is also an informal adviser to Dr. David Nabarro, a rival candidate in the race for W.H.O. director general.

Dr. Tedros, who uses his first name in his campaign, denied the cover-up accusation and said he was “not surprised at all but quite disappointed” that Dr. Nabarro’s camp — which he said included high-ranking British health officials — had switched to running what he called a “last-minute smear campaign.”

The vote for the next director general of the W.H.O. is to take place at a weeklong meeting of the world’s health ministers in Geneva beginning May 22.

 

Source:

 

https://www.nytimes.com/2017/05/13/health/candidate-who-director-general-ethiopia-cholera-outbreaks.html

 

12 minutes ago, welovesundaysatspace said:

He is the first WHO Director-General to have been elected from multiple candidates by the World Health Assembly, and is the first person from the WHO African Region to serve as WHO's chief technical and administrative officer.”

And probably the first person to be brought by China........

 

Chinese checkers

China understands this only too well. The entire 2017 election of the WHO director was a farce because none of the candidates had any differing views on any subject. All candidates subscribed to the same dogmas and went overboard trying to please China. And through China, they got African votes.

Nabarro used his alleged differences with Tedros to somehow fool the Taiwanese into believing that he was marginally “more friendly” to them, and so, Taiwan encouraged all the 21 countries that recognise it as a separate nation to vote for him. This is the name of the game: 50 shades of cronyism. To suitably masquerade as “diversity of opinion” without any difference in approach or thought....https://theprint.in/opinion/if-you-didnt-see-who-china-nexus-before-covid-you-werent-connecting-the-dots-well/405637/

If their completely China biased response to the pandemic wasn't enough to make me doubt their usefulness, the appointment of Anutin as the Regional Director for Southeast Asia would. I cannot understand why the UK is giving them so much money. They should bring back Gro Harlem Brundtland, she was the last competent Director General. 

Where is all this money coming from?

1 hour ago, evadgib said:

Where is all this money coming from?

From the pocket of the UK taxpayer. See how generous we are. Our PM, Boris, thinks it's  to fund a new TV series of 'Doctor Who'????

A country with record levels of national debt inceasing by £5000 per second and equal to £66,000 per UK taxpayer gives even more cash to an oeganisation that failed to limit the pandemic. 

 

Criminal.

considering the UK response to their public health emergency funding the initial pandemic deniers makes sense..

2 hours ago, ColinChapman said:

I cannot understand why the UK is giving them so much money. 

Maybe Boris, in search of new friends and markets, is sending a signal to China...

12 minutes ago, Kinnock said:

A country with record levels of national debt inceasing by £5000 per second and equal to £66,000 per UK taxpayer gives even more cash to an oeganisation that failed to limit the pandemic. 

 

Criminal.

The WHO had zero control over the response of individual nations.

 

Nations that followed WHO advice did very much better than nations that ignored it.

the UK are the largest doner to WHO ,

Pledges made by the UK Prime minister Boris Johnson are 100% worthless!!!

what does WHO do with all those billions ?

 

make vaccines ? distribute them ?   pay millions to CEO ?

 

this is TAX PAYERS money and still, whatever they make, will be made for big profits

1 hour ago, bert bloggs said:

the UK are the largest doner to WHO ,

Typical, the govt are very good at throwing our money at any oddjob who holds out his hand.

 

8 hours ago, welovesundaysatspace said:

The “boss” of the WHO is Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus: “Dr Tedros holds a Doctorate of Philosophy (PhD) in Community Health from the University of Nottingham and a Master of Science (MSc) in Immunology of Infectious Diseases from the University of London. Dr Tedros is globally recognised as a health scholar, researcher, and diplomat with first-hand experience in research, operations, and leadership in emergency responses to epidemics. (...) 

 

Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus was elected as WHO Director-General for a five-year term by WHO Member States at the Seventieth World Health Assembly in May 2017.

He is the first WHO Director-General to have been elected from multiple candidates by the World Health Assembly, and is the first person from the WHO African Region to serve as WHO's chief technical and administrative officer.”
 

(https://www.who.int/dg/biography)

And he boycots Taiwan and and supports a communist dictorship.

1 hour ago, Chomper Higgot said:

The WHO had zero control over the response of individual nations.

 

Nations that followed WHO advice did very much better than nations that ignored it.

Including Taiwan

3 minutes ago, Nout said:

And he boycots Taiwan and and supports a communist dictorship.

Do you know any countries that boycot China? Or are they all supporting China through trading with them?

Double standards!

5 hours ago, Chomper Higgot said:

The WHO had zero control over the response of individual nations.

 

Nations that followed WHO advice did very much better than nations that ignored it.

WHO were slow to warn the world because they followed incorrect and suspect guidance from China, failed to stop COVID at the Chins border by failing to influence China to stop international flights, were too slow to recommend use of masks, placed unwarranted faith in lockdowns which wrecked the economies of most countries except Sweden - which employed a strategy not supported by the WHO but which turned out to be at least partly cortect.

 

They have been toally inneffective and constantly behind the curve, just reacting to events as they became obvious to everyone.

 

And the WHO head is a politician who employed a lobby company to get voted in using support from African nations ..... and China.  Only people naive enough to believe WHO's own spin could possibly believe they have any value whatsoever.

 

Just watched Johnson's speech. He seemed to suggest the UK will lead the world out of this pandemic. I had this mental picture of legions of lemmings singing as the leapt off cliffs..

13 hours ago, welovesundaysatspace said:

The “boss” of the WHO is Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus: “Dr Tedros holds a Doctorate of Philosophy (PhD) in Community Health from the University of Nottingham and a Master of Science (MSc) in Immunology of Infectious Diseases from the University of London. Dr Tedros is globally recognised as a health scholar, researcher, and diplomat with first-hand experience in research, operations, and leadership in emergency responses to epidemics. (...) 

 

Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus was elected as WHO Director-General for a five-year term by WHO Member States at the Seventieth World Health Assembly in May 2017.

He is the first WHO Director-General to have been elected from multiple candidates by the World Health Assembly, and is the first person from the WHO African Region to serve as WHO's chief technical and administrative officer.”

 

But did you notice other people's lips moving when the words are coming out of his mouth?

 

Off-topic posts removed. 

8 hours ago, Kinnock said:

WHO were slow to warn the world because they followed incorrect and suspect guidance from China, failed to stop COVID at the Chins border by failing to influence China to stop international flights, were too slow to recommend use of masks, placed unwarranted faith in lockdowns which wrecked the economies of most countries except Sweden - which employed a strategy not supported by the WHO but which turned out to be at least partly cortect.

 

They have been toally inneffective and constantly behind the curve, just reacting to events as they became obvious to everyone.

 

And the WHO head is a politician who employed a lobby company to get voted in using support from African nations ..... and China.  Only people naive enough to believe WHO's own spin could possibly believe they have any value whatsoever.

 

Seems you do not comprehend WHO constraints under which they operate. WHO can only entre a country with the permission of relevant country authorities. WHO was initially refused entry to PRC to assess the situation in Wuhan. Eventually they were granted entry and arrived on 16/02, including a US national on the team and by 28/02 WHO issued its report; refer link below. The report conclusions commence on page 38. it seems PRC successfully implemented the recommendations how many were rigorously enforced by other countries e.g. HMG / trump administration?

 

Initial reports in January...

https://www.who.int/docs/default-source/coronaviruse/situation-reports/20200121-sitrep-1-2019-ncov.pdf

 

28/02 - WHO PRC on the ground investigation and recommendations

 

https://www.who.int/docs/default-source/coronaviruse/who-china-joint-mission-on-covid-19-final-report.pdf

 

3 hours ago, simple1 said:

Seems you do not comprehend WHO constraints under which they operate. WHO can only entre a country with the permission of relevant country authorities. WHO was initially refused entry to PRC to assess the situation in Wuhan. Eventually they were granted entry and arrived on 16/02, including a US national on the team and by 28/02 WHO issued its report; refer link below. The report conclusions commence on page 38. it seems PRC successfully implemented the recommendations how many were rigorously enforced by other countries e.g. HMG / trump administration?

 

Initial reports in January...

https://www.who.int/docs/default-source/coronaviruse/situation-reports/20200121-sitrep-1-2019-ncov.pdf

 

28/02 - WHO PRC on the ground investigation and recommendations

 

https://www.who.int/docs/default-source/coronaviruse/who-china-joint-mission-on-covid-19-final-report.pdf

 

So they are useless by design rather than accident.  Still useless.

 

Why do countries support the WHO with huge funds as they are clearly ineffective due to internal politics, external limitations and corruption at the top.

On 9/26/2020 at 6:22 AM, rooster59 said:

Johnson will also announce 340 million pounds ($433.23 million) in funding for the WHO spread across four years - a 30% increase on the previous four-year commitment - with around a third of the money dependent on reform to the organisation.

What a waste of money.  What has the WHO accomplished for all of the money they're being paid?  Specifically?  Anybody know what all that money (total worldwide funding) buys?  Where it goes?  To whom it flows?  Their performance in this pandemic has been more than miserable.  They've shown themselves to put politics and corruption above humanity.  If that were not true then why make a third of the 340 million pounds dependent on reform?  Are they, like so many corrupt institutions, beyond reform?  I'd be seriously asking that question before believing they can be reformed.

 

Again, what a waste of money.

1 hour ago, Kinnock said:

So they are useless by design rather than accident.  Still useless.

 

Why do countries support the WHO with huge funds as they are clearly ineffective due to internal politics, external limitations and corruption at the top.

Utter nonsense, WHO are not 'ineffective'. WHO made some errors of judgement at the commencement of the Covid-19 outbreak, but weighed in comparison to their deliverables globally have excellent outcomes e.g.

 

https://www.who.int/emergencies/achievements/en/

1 hour ago, simple1 said:

Utter nonsense, WHO are not 'ineffective'. WHO made some errors of judgement at the commencement of the Covid-19 outbreak, but weighed in comparison to their deliverables globally have excellent outcomes e.g.

 

https://www.who.int/emergencies/achievements/en/

"WHO made some errors of judgement at the commencement of the Covid-19 outbreak . . . "

 

Why veil their compliance and obedience to the CCP with benign double speak?

12 minutes ago, Tippaporn said:

"WHO made some errors of judgement at the commencement of the Covid-19 outbreak . . . "

 

Why veil their compliance and obedience to the CCP with benign double speak?

right wing conspiracy rhetoric is extremely passe

Edited September 27, 20205 yr by simple1

2 minutes ago, simple1 said:

14 minutes ago, Tippaporn said:

1 hour ago, simple1 said:

Utter nonsense, WHO are not 'ineffective'. WHO made some errors of judgement at the commencement of the Covid-19 outbreak, but weighed in comparison to their deliverables globally have excellent outcomes e.g.

 

https://www.who.int/emergencies/achievements/en/

"WHO made some errors of judgement at the commencement of the Covid-19 outbreak . . . "

 

Why veil their compliance and obedience to the CCP with benign double speak?

right wing conspiracy rhetoric is extremely passe

Labeling any contradictory opinion, even fact, as right wing conspiracy rhetoric is so transparent and unimaginative.  Is that all you've got?

 

Foreign Policy - Yes, Blame WHO for Its Disastrous Coronavirus Response

 

Foreign Policy - How WHO Became China’s Coronavirus Accomplice

 

Foreign Policy has a rating of least biased and highly factual.  Again, just throw a right wing conspiracy label on it and we'll all just bury our heads in the sand.