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GENEVA (AP) – The United States will resume funding from the World Health Organization and join their consortium to equitably share coronavirus vaccines around the world, President Joe Biden’s senior adviser on the issue said on Thursday. pandemic, renewing its support for an agency the Trump administration had pulled out of.
Dr Anthony Fauci’s swift commitment to the WHO – whose response to the pandemic has been criticized by many, but perhaps most vehemently by the Trump administration – marks a radical and vocal shift towards a more cooperative approach to the fight against the pandemic.
“I am honored to announce that the United States will remain a member of the World Health Organization,” Fauci said during a WHO virtual meeting from the United States, where it was 4:10 am in Washington. It was the first public statement by a member of the Biden administration to an international audience – and a sign of the priority the new president has placed on tackling COVID-19 both at home and with partners global.
Just hours after Biden’s inauguration on Wednesday, he wrote a letter to UN Secretary-General Antonio Gutteres, claiming that the United States had canceled the planned WHO withdrawal which was due to take effect in July .
The withdrawal of the WHO was rich in symbolism – another example of the US strategy of autonomous action under Trump. But it also had practical ramifications: The United States halted funding for the United Nations health agency – stripping it of money from the country that has long been its biggest donor, as the agency struggled. against the health crisis that has killed more than 2 million people around the world. The United States had also withdrawn personnel from the organization.
Fauci said the Biden administration will resume its “regular engagement” with the WHO and “meet its financial obligations to the organization.”
The WHO chief and others intervened to welcome the US announcements.
“It’s a good day for WHO and a good day for global health,” said Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus. “The role of the United States, its role, its global role is very, very crucial.”
The two hinted at a warm relationship between them, with Fauci calling Tedros his “dear friend” and Tedros referring to Fauci as “my brother Tony”.
John Nkengasong, director of the African Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, called it “good news” in an email. “The world has always been a better place when the United States takes a leadership role in solving global health problems, including the fight against HIV / AIDS, malaria, polio and other diseases “, did he declare.
Danish Health Minister Magnus Heunicke wrote on Facebook: “This is going to have a huge impact on the world’s ability to fight the pandemic. It is decisive that the United States is involved as a driving force and not as a country looking for an exit when a global catastrophe rages.
Fauci also said Biden would issue a directive on Thursday that shows the United States’ intention to join the COVAX Facility, a project to roll out COVID-19 vaccines to people in need around the world – whether in rich or poor countries.
Under Trump, the United States had been the most prominent – and crowded – of the COVAX Facility, which struggled to meet its goals of distributing millions of vaccines both due to financial and logistical difficulties.
The WHO and leaders of many developing countries have repeatedly expressed concerns that poorer places may be the last to receive COVID-19 vaccines, while noting that leaving large swathes of the population behind unvaccinated world puts everyone at risk.
While pledging the support of the United States, Fauci also highlighted some major challenges facing the WHO. He said the United States was committed to “transparency, including the events surrounding the early days of the pandemic.”
One of the Trump administration’s biggest criticisms was that the WHO had reacted too slowly to the outbreak in Wuhan, China, and was too tolerant and too effusive of the Chinese government’s response. Others also shared these critiques – but public health experts and many countries have argued that while the organization needs reform, it remains vital.
Referring to a WHO-led investigation into the origins of the coronavirus by a team currently in China, Fauci said, “The international investigation should be solid and clear, and we look forward to evaluating it. . ”
He said the United States would work with WHO and partner countries to “strengthen and reform” the agency, without providing details.
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Associated Press editors Cara Anna in Nairobi, Kenya, and Jan M. Olsen in Copenhagen, Denmark, contributed to this report.
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