On July 10, GSL Director Steven Hoffman was interviewed in connection with a CBC News article on the current state of the World Health Organization (WHO) amid the announcement by the US government, that they plan to withdraw from the organization next year citing Chinese influence and general handling of COVID-19.
In the article, Hoffman addressed these allegations explaining that the WHO is essentially a member organization (where the members are countries) working on behalf of its 194 member states. The organization is funded by its members according to the size of their economy, or an “assessed” amount. This funding is “earmarked” for specific projects leaving the WHO with about 20% flexibility regarding emergencies or other novel expenses. The biggest funders are the US and China.
Regarding China exerting undue influence over the WHO, Hoffman argued that the plaintiff in this case (the US) historically doesn’t really have a leg to stand on: “It is a little surprising that the United States has been saying that China has been exerting undue influence, hen most commentators have expressed that same concern with respect to the United States.”
Read the full article here.
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