UN Chief In Touch With US Authorities, Says Support For WHO Must Continue - Spokesman

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has been in contact with US officials after the United States threatened to stop financing the World Health Organization (WHO) and believes the agency must be supported to fight the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, United Nations spokesperson Stephane Dujarric said in a press briefing on Wednesday

UNITED NATIONS (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 08th April, 2020) UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has been in contact with US officials after the United States threatened to stop financing the World Health Organization (WHO) and believes the agency must be supported to fight the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, United Nations spokesperson Stephane Dujarric said in a press briefing on Wednesday.

On Tuesday, US President Donald Trump accused the WHO of being biased toward China in its handling of the COVID-19 outbreak and did not rule out suspending US funds for the agency.

"The Secretary-General has been, of course, in touch with the World Health Organization as well as the with the US authorities," Dujarric said. "The Secretary-General believes that the World Health Organization must be supported as it is absolutely critical to the world's efforts to win the war against COVID-19."

In a corresponding statement, Guterres said that the COVID-19 pandemic is among the most dangerous challenges the world has confronted and WHO professionals are on the frontlines in the fight against the disease.

Guterres pointed out that it is possible for the same facts to be read differently by various entities during the global COVID-19 emergency. However, he said the time to look back and understand how the virus spread would come once the pandemic is eliminated.

"Now is time for unity, for the international community to work together in solidarity to stop this virus and its shattering consequences," Guterres said.

On January 23, WHO Director-General Tedros Ghebreyesus said the agency did not recommend any broader restrictions on travel or trade, but he did recommend exit screening at airports.

At the time, there were more than 600 confirmed COVID-19 cases in China and 17 deaths due to the disease. The virus had also spread to the United States, Japan, South Korea, Singapore, Thailand and Saudi Arabia.

As of Wednesday afternoon, the total number of confirmed cases has exceeded 1.4 million people worldwide, while 85,397 individuals have died, according to the Johns Hopkins University.