Get 40% Off
🤯 This Tech Portfolio is up 29% YTD! Join Now to Get April’s Top PicksGet The Picks – Just 99 USD

UK pledges £340 million for WHO, calls for end to 'ugly rifts'

Published 25/09/2020, 22:35
Updated 25/09/2020, 23:45
© Reuters. FILE PHOTO: Britain's Prime Minister Boris Johnson leaves 10 Downing Street, in London

© Reuters. FILE PHOTO: Britain's Prime Minister Boris Johnson leaves 10 Downing Street, in London

LONDON (Reuters) - British Prime Minister Boris Johnson will pledge on Saturday a 30% increase in funding for the World Health Organization while urging reforms to the global health body and calling for a revival of cross-border cooperation to end "ugly rifts".

Delivering a recorded speech to the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA), Johnson will say the COVID-19 pandemic has increased barriers to trade.

He will also present a five-point plan to improve the international response to future pandemics.

"After nine months of fighting COVID, the very notion of the international community looks tattered," he will say, according to advance extracts distributed by his office.

"Unless we unite and turn our fire against our common foe, we know that everyone will lose. Now is the time therefore ... for humanity to reach across borders and repair these ugly rifts."

His plan includes a global network of research hubs, more vaccine manufacturing capacity, and an agreement to reduce export tariffs imposed at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic.

He will commit an initial 71 million pounds to the global vaccine partnership known as COVAX to secure purchase rights on 27 million doses, and 500 million to a separate COVAX initiative to help poorer countries access a vaccine.

Johnson will also announce 340 million pounds ($433.23 million) in funding for the WHO spread across four years - a 30% increase on the previous four-year commitment - with around a third of the money dependent on reform to the organisation.

Britain, along with France and Germany, is expressing support for the WHO, albeit tied to reforms, when the body faces criticism over its pandemic response.

© Reuters. FILE PHOTO: Britain's Prime Minister Boris Johnson leaves 10 Downing Street, in London

The United States gave a year's notice in July that it is leaving the U.N. agency - which was created to improve health globally - after Trump accused it of being too close to China and having mishandled the COVID-19 pandemic.

Latest comments

Risk Disclosure: Trading in financial instruments and/or cryptocurrencies involves high risks including the risk of losing some, or all, of your investment amount, and may not be suitable for all investors. Prices of cryptocurrencies are extremely volatile and may be affected by external factors such as financial, regulatory or political events. Trading on margin increases the financial risks.
Before deciding to trade in financial instrument or cryptocurrencies you should be fully informed of the risks and costs associated with trading the financial markets, carefully consider your investment objectives, level of experience, and risk appetite, and seek professional advice where needed.
Fusion Media would like to remind you that the data contained in this website is not necessarily real-time nor accurate. The data and prices on the website are not necessarily provided by any market or exchange, but may be provided by market makers, and so prices may not be accurate and may differ from the actual price at any given market, meaning prices are indicative and not appropriate for trading purposes. Fusion Media and any provider of the data contained in this website will not accept liability for any loss or damage as a result of your trading, or your reliance on the information contained within this website.
It is prohibited to use, store, reproduce, display, modify, transmit or distribute the data contained in this website without the explicit prior written permission of Fusion Media and/or the data provider. All intellectual property rights are reserved by the providers and/or the exchange providing the data contained in this website.
Fusion Media may be compensated by the advertisers that appear on the website, based on your interaction with the advertisements or advertisers.
© 2007-2024 - Fusion Media Limited. All Rights Reserved.