WAS THE DECISION OF USA RIGHT IN ORDER TO TO STOP THE FUNDING OF WHO?

The Authors are Mr. Gaurav Kumar Yadav, from Faculty of Law, Integral University, and Ms. Shruti Kasera from Law College, Dehradun.

The whole world is going through a grave situation currently; the situation lies the same for all countries whether small or big, developing, or developed. Being united and coming up together by helping one another in any way possible is the only solution that we have against this invisible disaster – COVID-19. Things seem to be perfect if carried out in compliance with time. Anything did beforehand or late never gives out beneficial results but could be disastrous instead.

The UN’s health agency has been playing a vital role in safeguarding the health of people all over the world since its emergence. It is currently tackling the adverse situation that has arisen by the spread of deadly coronavirus which has its epicenter in the Wuhan city of China. As per the WHO chief, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus the global health agency has been responding to the deadly virus attack in the following four outlined ways:

1- WHO Assists all countries

The WHO has released a COVID-19 Strategic Prevention and Response Plan, which identifies the key activities that countries need to take.  The plan, updated as fresh information and data that can help WHO understand and respond to virus characteristics, serves as a guide for developing countries for specific plans. The WHO established the COVID-19 Solidarity Response Fund to help patients get care of their needs and provide the necessary supplies and information to frontline workers;  And to accelerate the research and development of a vaccine and treatment for all that they need.  With donations from governments, the private sector, and individuals, more than $ 800 million pledges or responses have been received so far.

2 -Provides accurate information from time to time

WHO has shipped more than two million personal protective equipment to 133 countries and is set up to ship another two million items in the coming weeks.  More than one lakh clinical trial has been sent to 126 countries in all regions, and more are being sourced.

However, more is needed right now, and the WHO is working with the International Chamber of Commerce, the World Economic Forum, and others in the private sector to increase production and distribution of essential medical supplies. On 8 April, WHO launched a "UN COVID-19 Supply Chain Task Force", which aims to dramatically increase the supply of essential protective equipment where it is needed.

3 - Training and mobilizing health workers

WHO is aiming to educate millions of healthcare workers through its online platform.  It serves as a platform for the rapid sharing of public health expertise and in-gravity discussion and feedback on key issues.

The countries are also being supported by experts posted around the world by WHO's Global Outbreak Alert and Response Network (GOARN).  During the outbreak, the network makes sure that the right technical expertise and skills are based on when and where they are needed most.

Emergency medical teams are also a crucial part of the global health workforce.  These teams are made highly trained and self-sufficient and sent to locations identified as disaster or emergency areas.

4 - The search for a vaccine and helping the poorest and vulnerable groups

The WHO brought 400 researchers of the world's leading to identify research priorities in February. The agency launched an international clinical a trial called a "Solidarity Trial" involving 90 countries to help to find effective treatments. The objective is to rapidly ascertain whether any current drug can slow the stride of the disease, or improve survival.

WHO has developed research protocols in more than 40 countries in a coordinated manner, and some 130 scientists, funders, and manufacturers around the world work with the WHO to accelerate signed statements with WHO  to development of a vaccine against COVID-19.

The Issue

In the midst of all this, there has been seen an abrupt decision made by the superpower recently. At a time when the World Health Organization has the primary obligation to response towards the critical conditions of most of the countries by fulfilling their needs during the pandemic, U.S. President Trump has made an absurd proclamation of halting funding to WHO for its “role in severely mismanaging and covering up the spread of coronavirus” and for “failing to adequately obtain, analyze, and share information in a timely and transparent fashion”. U.S. being the WHO’s biggest contributor is undoubtedly gripped hit hard by such a decision. America is also badly affected by the pandemic. Such a severe decision at this point is untenable. This will not only adversely affect WHO but also hurts humanity. Various law and middle-income countries that call on help and directions and even look for necessities like masks and testing kits from the global body are at bombardment without any the fault of theirs.

The spread of the vulnerable disease has been unprecedented in scale. Unmitigated support is what is required from every country at this crucial point of time to win the war against Coronavirus, keeping aside any sort of reasons. Failure of obligations, mistakes, or any other reason should have no place to be dealt with amid such an alarming situation. Reasons and mistakes should be probed into, but not at the cost of the primary need of the hour. The halting of funding is no good decision as it is not in the interest of any of the affected countries at present.

WHO relied on the information provided by the individual member-states and did not take the necessary steps at its part. Being an international organization, taking issues so casually does not depict good indication. The global health body continued accepting outlandish Chinese claims and statistics about which China itself remained unsure and kept on correcting which create questions of doubts yet, not being questioned by WHO show that it must be reprimanded.

Various reasons show that the WHO should be accountable for the entire leniency at its part. Concealing and providing artificial data and statistics by China should also not be accepted at any cost. But the fact that it is not the correct time prevails. This is the time to move beyond blaming and criticizing which can bring out even more disastrous results.

At this point, every country should come together and take decisions that promote humanity or is in the direction leading to humanity and nothing else. The decision of reducing the funding despite halting it could be a better, supportive, and humanitarian decision. Previously, Mr. Trumppraised both China and WHO. Noticeably, the change inside may have links to make out either personal gains or a desperate need to hide his failures of not being able to control the proliferation of the virus within his nation.

Conclusion

It is the time to just keep a note of the shortcomings of everyone so that it can be dealt with and probed into once the situation comes under control. This is the time to just concentrate upon taking all adequate measures that would provide benefit to the world's health. Trump's withdrawal of funding seems the U.S to be abandoning the world amid the pandemic. The step could be taken within the purview of the matter of concern by reducing it instead.

WHO can act as a bridge and better coordinate with the needs of the world, things seem to be difficult to manage without the global agency’s assistance. Any step taken must be in the direction to accomplish the only objective i.e. to promote global health, ensure the safety of the world, and serve the vulnerable