Trump Announces Termination Of US Relationship With WHO Over Failure To Carry Out Reforms

United States (US) President Donald Trump on Friday (29 May) announced the termination of US’ association with the World Health Organisation (WHO) over its failure to carry out reforms, reports Hindustan Times.

President Trump also announced that the annual contribution of $450 million to the organisation would be diverted to other “worldwide and deserving urgent global public health needs”.

The development comes as President Trump had last week sent a list of reforms that the US wanted WHO to implement. In his letter, listing out the demanded reforms, President Trump had also asked WHO's incumbent director general Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus to demonstrate the body's independence from China.

Trump also attacked China for pressuring the WHO to "mislead the world."

"Chinese officials ignored their reporting obligations to the World Health Organization and pressured the World Health Organization to mislead the world when the virus was first discovered by Chinese authorities," Trump said, reports CNN.

"Countless lives have been taken and profound economic hardship has been inflicted all around the globe," he added.