The Geneva-based World Health Organization (WHO) has proposed cutting its budget by a fifth. This comes after its largest contributor, the US, decided to withdraw. The organisation must now reduce its tasks and staff, it said.
The Geneva-based World Health Organization (WHO) has proposed cutting its budget by a fifth. This comes after its largest contributor, the US, decided to withdraw. The organisation must now reduce its tasks and staff, it said.
As per the map you uploaded, USA created a problem: can we do anything about it as non-Americans? No we can’t. Let’s then assess the situation, inform better the public about the WHOs function, and sit with as many of all the other countries to work to a joint solution.
Giving me news about US “actions” and internal discourse, for everyone outside of the US, is inaction-causing noise at best, propaganda at its worst. What should be communicated is the existence of a void and its possible consequences.
What about China filling the void being a possible consequence for example? Is it a possibility? Is it good or bad? Should we talk to China about it or not?
If I keep thinking about Trump and his henchmen I won’t ask myself those questions.
You do realize that OPs article is about a US “action”? You’ve now been informed and might be able to take action like voting accordingly, writing to your representatives etc.
Or, as per my initial comment, you could’ve ignored US news and would be none the wiser.
Edit: one more thing, you know the US-made/Tesla boycotts happening all over the world? They’d not be happening if everyone ignored US politics.
I do not vote representatives based on US policy here in Europe. I vote them because of what I expect them to do based on a current situation in light of the lessons history gave us.
The Tesla protests and torching may be useful now, but if we have nothing to replace those people with, even worse alternatives may come to fill the void.
As a EU citizen, my main focus is to build an alternative, not to protest and counteract a foreign dictator.
Which other countries can also create if contributions are altered.
Being aware of the how and why of national politics impacting international politics is a good thing. Suggesting otherwise is just putting blinders on.
I am suggesting being aware of the problems, of the functions of the institutions and to do something. Other countries could also work to make WHO even better despite the absence of the USA (or thanks to it).
The WHO also has a lot of its budget tied to Melinda and Bill, two American billionaires, 390$B in 2022, so much more than the US as a whole and that is a much bigger problem, if you ask me.
Do we really want global health functioning on this basis, or should we use the shock to rediscuss the assumptions?