Germany and France have pledged hundreds of millions in extra funding for the World Health Organization (WHO) just weeks after Donald Trump announced the US would terminate its relationship with the body.
German Health Minister Jens Spahn announced at a press conference in Geneva on Thursday that his government was set to provide an extra €266 million ($298 million) in funding to the WHO.
“We… are supporting WHO with an additional €41 million for its core mandate until 2023,” Spahn said Thursday.
“Additional to this we are providing [an] additional €25 million for the implementation for the strategic preparedness response plan.”
“And due to the still remaining major funding gap to implement the strategic preparedness response plan until the end of this year, the German government has decided to provide [an] additional €200 million to the WHO on top of the €110 million … which we have already pledged.”
Spahn said the funding had not been approved by the German parliament but added that the government was “very confident” it would be approved.
Germany will also provide medical masks and equipment, including ventilators, for countries in need.
WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said on Twitter that the organization was “very grateful” for the country's pledge.
“All this with the previous pledge of €110M brings [Germany's] contribution to €500 million in 2020, its highest ever in a year,” he said.
We are very greatful for #Germany’s announcement of:
-€266M to the core work of @WHO & the #COVID19 response
-support in kind with masks and medical equipment
All this with the previous pledge of €110M brings ??'s contribution to €500M in 2020, its highest ever in a year. pic.twitter.com/IMMFvGFO9T— Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus (@DrTedros) June 26, 2020
France will give €90 million to a WHO centre, a further €50 million towards the WHO's coronavirus response effort and €100 million worth of masks.
The funding effort comes after President Trump said he would end the US’ relationship with the international health organization on May 29.
The US was previously by far the agency's largest donor; in the two-year funding cycle of 2018 to 2019, it gave $893 million to WHO.
