The World Health Organization on Monday opened its annual meeting of government ministers and other top envoys facing one of the most serious crises of its 77-year history in the wake of Trump administration funding cuts and plans to withdraw the United States.
The U.N. health agency this year has seen a plunge in its ability to carry out its sweeping mandate to do everything from recommend reductions in sugar levels in soft drinks to head the global response to pandemics like COVID-19 or outbreaks like polio or Ebola.
Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus has been grappling with a response to the U.S. cuts as well as reduced outlays from other traditional Western donors who are putting more money toward defense and less toward humanitarian aid.
