The United States, the World Health Organization’s top donor, is resisting proposals to make the agency more independent, four officials involved in the talks said, raising doubts about the Biden administration’s long-term support for the UN agency.
The proposal, made by the WHO’s working group on sustainable financing, would increase each member state’s standing annual contribution, according to a WHO document published online and dated January 4.
The plan is part of a wider reform process galvanised by the Covd-19 pandemic, which has highlighted the limitations of the WHO’s power to intervene early in a crisis.