In addition, Finnish Foreign Minister Pekka Haavisto termed the U.S. decision as "a major setback."
Talking to the Finnish news agency STT, Haavisto said that "the work of the WHO is needed especially these days for overcoming the coronavirus."
In stark contrast to the U.S. move, the Finnish government on Wednesday pledged to increase its funding for the WHO by restoring it to the 2017 level -- 5.5 million euros (6 million U.S. dollars).
The WHO is leading the global effort to prepare for and respond to the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic. Finland is one of the vice-chairs of the WHO Executive Board and supports a strong WHO, the government noted in the statement.
Moreover, some former WHO officials also rendered support for the organization.
Professor Anthony Costello, a British pediatrician and former director of the Department of Maternal, Child and Adolescent Health at the WHO, said on Wednesday that it would "be extremely damaging to America's reputation worldwide" if the U.S. goes ahead with Trump's decision.
Speaking in a TV program of the Irish national radio and television broadcaster RTE, Costello said the WHO has given much support to the world's poorest countries in terms of testing, research and development in the fight against the pandemic.
In Geneva, WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said at a virtual press conference the WHO regretted the U.S. decision to halt funding. The organization's performance in tackling the COVID-19 pandemic will be reviewed by WHO's member states "in due course," he added.
【国际英语资讯:Spotlight: European nations voice backing, commitment to WHO after Trumps decision to halt】相关文章:
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