Francesco Guarascio and Trevor Hunnicutt. Stephanie Nebehay

BRUSSELS – Four officials who were involved in negotiations said that the United States, which is the largest donor to the World Health Organization, has resisted attempts to make it more independent. It raises questions about whether the Biden administration will continue its support for U.N. agencies over time.

A WHO document posted online on Jan. 4 stated that the WHO’s work group on sustainable financing proposed to increase each member’s current annual contribution.

This plan forms part of wider reforms that were triggered by the COVID-19 epidemic, which highlighted limitations in the WHO’s ability to respond quickly during a crisis.

Officials from the United States told Reuters that the U.S. is opposed to the WHO reform due to concerns over its ability face future threats including China.

Instead of pushing for the creation a separate, donor-controlled fund to help finance emergency funding, the group is pushing for the creation of such a fund.

The U.S. opposed was confirmed by four European officials who were involved in the negotiations, but they declined to name them as they weren’t authorized to talk to media. There was no comment from the U.S. government immediately.

According to the published proposal, mandatory contributions from member states should rise slowly starting in 2024, so that they account for 50% of the agency’s core budget of $2 billion by 2028. This would be a significant increase over the current 20%.

Core budget of the WHO is used to fight pandemics around the globe and strengthen healthcare systems. A further $1 billion is raised annually to address specific global issues such as the fight against pandemics and fighting influenza.

The WHO relies on voluntary funding from members states and charities, according to its supporters. This makes the WHO less capable of criticising member nations when they go wrong.

A panel of experts on pandemics was created to provide advice on WHO reform. They recommended a larger increase in the mandatory fees to 75% of core budget. This is because the WHO’s current system poses a “major risk” to its integrity and independence.

LONG-STANDING SCEPTICISM

Responding to the query, the WHO stated that only flexible and predictable resources could enable WHO to implement all the Member States’ priorities.

Three European officials stated that the plan is supported by top European Union donors including Germany and most African, South American, and Arab countries.

Three officials stated that the proposal will be considered at next week’s WHO executive board meeting, but no agreement can be expected due to the divisions.

While the WHO acknowledged that there wasn’t consensus between member countries, it said they expected talks to continue through the May meeting of the World Health Assembly (the agency’s highest decision-making body).

European donors favor strengthening multilateral organisations, such as the WHO, instead of weakening them.

A European official stated that the U.S. plan causes “scepticism in many countries” and suggested that the WHO should create a new structure managed by donors to improve the ability of the Agency to fight future pandemics.

Washington was critical of WHO for a long time.

Donald Trump was the former President of the United States. Trump accused the USA of being defensive of China’s early delays in sharing data when COVID-19 appeared in 2019.

Biden’s government resigned shortly after it was elected. Officials told Reuters, however, that the WHO needed significant reform. They also raised concern over its governance structure and ability face increasing threats, including from China.

A European official stated that other major countries like Brazil and Japan were also cautious about the WHO published proposal.

One official from Europe stated that China has not made clear its position yet, and the other listed Beijing as one the main critics.

Japan, China, Brazil and Brazil didn’t immediately comment.