Latest news with #aiddependency
Yahoo
24-05-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Global aid cuts will kill many – but it could be good for Africa in the long run, says WHO chief
The unprecedented cuts to international aid led by Donald Trump will cause many deaths but could be good for Africa in the long term, the Director General of World Health Organization has said. Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus told The Telegraph that cuts are being seen by many developing countries as an 'opportunity' to break the cycle of aid dependency in the developing world. However, he cautioned they had created a serious immediate crisis – one which charities like Oxfam say will cause millions of additional deaths each year. Speaking exclusively to The Telegraph as the 78th World Health Assembly in Geneva drew to a close on Friday, Dr Tedros said the WHO and its member states were facing a 'storm' but would weather it and emerge stronger. He added that although the US had announced it was leaving the WHO, the door remained open for it to rejoin and that informal communications were continuing with the US Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. 'We keep in touch with RFK junior. We do things together. It's informal, not public. He just texted me even this morning [Friday] at 00.42,' said Dr Tedros. The US and others, including the UK and France, announced deep cuts to international aid spending in January, causing deaths, medicine and equipment shortages and thousands of clinic closures and lay-offs across the developing world. Altogether about $50 billion in aid is expected to vanish from the global system over the next two years, sparking an urgent scramble to restructure health systems globally. According to Oxfam America, the US cuts alone could result in 23 million children losing access to education, and as many as 95 million people losing access to basic healthcare, potentially leading to more than 3 million preventable deaths per year. Programmes for the three biggest global killers – tuberculosis, HIV/Aids and malaria – are all currently heavily reliant on international aid and are especially vulnerable, say experts. Dr Tedros said the US cuts had sparked a 'serious crisis' and that he wished the US had given developing countries 'six months or one year to transit into other sources instead of pulling the plug'. Nevertheless, the US had 'every right to spend its money in the way it wants' and the cuts were being seen by member states as an opportunity to break away from a 'dependency mentality' and stand on their own feet, he added. 'To be honest, as an African, I am really embarrassed to see this,' said Dr Tedros of the crisis sparked by the aid cuts. 'It's embarrassing because it reveals a reliance, a dependency.' But he said he was encouraged by how many affected countries were reacting, shifting away from a 'mindset of aid dependency' and focusing on domestic solutions. 'So many countries have now moved into mobilising domestic resources. So there is a paradigm here and it's shifting; shifting to a belief that, 'okay, this is our problem to solve. We need to move into self reliance. We cannot be dependent on others'.' The mood among African and Asian delegations at the annual gathering of world health leaders was remarkably upbeat given the circumstances. There was a sense that, with the US exiting, an inflection point had been passed. The long-debated Pandemic Agreement was passed without a single vote against, a significant boost for multilateralism even if the new treaty is thin on specifics. There were also big delegations from China, South East Asia and the Middle East present, suggesting there were new deals to be done. Meanwhile, more countries are introducing taxes on alcohol, tobacco and sugar in a bid to bridge the funding gap, while others are looking at the introduction of universal health insurance systems for the first time. The crackdown on junk foods, tobacco and booze has been given licence – not just by WHO recommendations – but by the US Health Secretary's call for a focus on the 'industrialised' food sector and the need to cut obesity and other chronic diseases. 'We're seeking to reduce consumption of ultra processed foods, and we're going to support lifestyle changes that will bolster the immune systems and transform the health of our people', he told WHO delegates in a video message posted on X, formerly Twitter, on Thursday. Dr Tedros said the WHO itself had 'foreseen' the risk of one of its major funders pulling out in 2017 and had put in place mechanisms to broaden its funding base so it would remain both solvent and independent in the event of a such a crisis. These included an agreed 50 per cent increased core contributions from all 194 member states by 2030/31 and the establishment of the WHO Foundation, which is able to receive private donations, and has raised around $100 million since its launch in 2020. Just this week China, which had a record delegation of more than 120 diplomats at this year's WHA, pledged to give $500 million to the WHO over the next five years – a sum which will help make up for, but far from replace, the total funding withdrawn by the US. Overall the WHO, is still facing a shortfall in annual funding from 2024 levels of about $450m. Dr Tedros said the WHO's central bureaucracy in Geneva would bear most of the cuts as a result of the shortfall and that most regional offices would be maintained but trimmed. The organisation would refocus on its 'core mandate' of promoting health and helping to manage emergencies by setting standards and convincing global expertise, he said. The WHO would become a 'lean and mean' organisation which was able to do 'more and better' for less. 'What we're doing is we're reducing our size. We have to focus on our core mandate and we're starting to shrink from the top', said Dr Tedros, who recently cut his executive team in half from 14 to seven. 'At the end of the day we will be smaller but more focused. We will be sharper and more empowered and independent. That's the opportunity.' Dr Tedros said the door would always be open to the US rejoining the WHO and that he hoped it would reconsider its position. He said he also hoped it would honour the estimated $350 million in arrears it owes the WHO but conceded that did not look likely as things stand. But ultimately the question of the US rejoining was not about money, said Dr Tedros. On that front the WHO was already 'shaping up and moving forward'. 'It's about safety. If they're out, then they will not be safe. And I'm sure the rest of the world will not be safe,' he said. 'So the money doesn't come first. When I ask them to reconsider, it's about the other things. Being part of the family, about cooperation and partnership, about the expertise we get from the US, and also their leadership.' Yet relations between the Trump administration and the WHO remain tense and a reversal of the US position seems unlikely. In his recent video message, RFK Jr described the WHO as a 'legacy' organisation 'mired in bureaucratic bloat, entrenched paradigms, conflicts of interest and international power politics.' The falling out dates back to President Trump's first term in office when he accused China – without evidence – of starting the Covid-19 pandemic through a lab leak. He then made certain unspecified demands of the WHO which Dr Tedros said were not possible to meet without sacrificing the organisation's independence. 'Our independence is the most important thing of all,' said Dr Tedros. 'The Director General should decide, without fear of any repercussion… I cannot give away the value of the organisation, even if it's for money. No way. So I said 'no'. I knew [then] the repercussion.' The situation, said Dr Tedros, is made more bizarre as the official positions of the US and the WHO on the origins of Sars-Cov-2 are the same: both are undecided and say it could have come from nature or a lab leak. He said this point was made together with others at a recent meeting with representatives of the Heritage Foundation, a US think tank closely aligned with the US administration, but that the established facts were rejected. 'What they have is contrary to what the truth is', said Dr Tedros. 'It's very difficult even to discuss with them, because it's not rational'. Protect yourself and your family by learning more about Global Health Security Broaden your horizons with award-winning British journalism. Try The Telegraph free for 1 month with unlimited access to our award-winning website, exclusive app, money-saving offers and more.
Telegraph
24-05-2025
- Health
- Telegraph
Global aid cuts will kill many – but Africa could benefit in the long run, says WHO chief
The unprecedented cuts to international aid led by Donald Trump will cause many deaths but could be good for Africa in the long term, the Director General of World Health Organization has said. Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus told The Telegraph that cuts are being seen by many developing countries as an 'opportunity' to break the cycle of aid dependency in the developing world. However, he cautioned they had created a serious immediate crisis – one which charities like Oxfam say will cause millions of additional deaths each year. Speaking exclusively to The Telegraph as the 78th World Health Assembly in Geneva drew to a close on Friday, Dr Tedros said the WHO and its member states were facing a 'storm' but would weather it and emerge stronger. He added that although the US had announced it was leaving the WHO, the door remained open for it to rejoin and that informal communications were continuing with the US Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. 'We keep in touch with RFK junior. We do things together. It's informal, not public. He just texted me even this morning [Friday] at 00.42,' said Dr Tedros. The US and others, including the UK and France, announced deep cuts to international aid spending in January, causing deaths, medicine and equipment shortages and thousands of clinic closures and lay-offs across the developing world. Altogether about $50 billion in aid is expected to vanish from the global system over the next two years, sparking an urgent scramble to restructure health systems globally. According to Oxfam America, the US cuts alone could result in 23 million children losing access to education, and as many as 95 million people losing access to basic healthcare, potentially leading to more than 3 million preventable deaths per year. Programmes for the three biggest global killers – tuberculosis, HIV/Aids and malaria – are all currently heavily reliant on international aid and are especially vulnerable, say experts. 'As an African, I am really embarrassed' Dr Tedros said the US cuts had sparked a 'serious crisis' and that he wished the US had given developing countries 'six months or one year to transit into other sources instead of pulling the plug'. Nevertheless, the US had 'every right to spend its money in the way it wants' and the cuts were being seen by member states as an opportunity to break away from a 'dependency mentality' and stand on their own feet, he added. 'To be honest, as an African, I am really embarrassed to see this,' said Dr Tedros of the crisis sparked by the aid cuts. 'It's embarrassing because it reveals a reliance, a dependency.' But he said he was encouraged by how many affected countries were reacting, shifting away from a 'mindset of aid dependency' and focusing on domestic solutions. 'So many countries have now moved into mobilising domestic resources. So there is a paradigm here and it's shifting; shifting to a belief that, 'okay, this is our problem to solve. We need to move into self reliance. We cannot be dependent on others'.' The mood among African and Asian delegations at the annual gathering of world health leaders was remarkably upbeat given the circumstances. There was a sense that, with the US exiting, an inflection point had been passed. The long-debated Pandemic Agreement was passed without a single vote against, a significant boost for multilateralism even if the new treaty is thin on specifics. There were also big delegations from China, South East Asia and the Middle East present, suggesting there were new deals to be done. Meanwhile, more countries are introducing taxes on alcohol, tobacco and sugar in a bid to bridge the funding gap, while others are looking at the introduction of universal health insurance systems for the first time. The crackdown on junk foods, tobacco and booze has been given licence – not just by WHO recommendations – but by the US Health Secretary's call for a focus on the 'industrialised' food sector and the need to cut obesity and other chronic diseases. 'We're seeking to reduce consumption of ultra processed foods, and we're going to support lifestyle changes that will bolster the immune systems and transform the health of our people', he told WHO delegates in a video message posted on X, formerly Twitter, on Thursday. A 'smaller but more focused' WHO Dr Tedros said the WHO itself had 'foreseen' the risk of one of its major funders pulling out in 2017 and had put in place mechanisms to broaden its funding base so it would remain both solvent and independent in the event of a such a crisis. These included an agreed 50 per cent increased core contributions from all 194 member states by 2030/31 and the establishment of the WHO Foundation, which is able to receive private donations, and has raised around $100 million since its launch in 2020. Just this week China, which had a record delegation of more than 120 diplomats at this year's WHA, pledged to give $500 million to the WHO over the next five years – a sum which will help make up for, but far from replace, the total funding withdrawn by the US. Overall the WHO, is still facing a shortfall in annual funding from 2024 levels of about $450m. Dr Tedros said the WHO's central bureaucracy in Geneva would bear most of the cuts as a result of the shortfall and that most regional offices would be maintained but trimmed. The organisation would refocus on its 'core mandate' of promoting health and helping to manage emergencies by setting standards and convincing global expertise, he said. The WHO would become a 'lean and mean' organisation which was able to do 'more and better' for less. 'What we're doing is we're reducing our size. We have to focus on our core mandate and we're starting to shrink from the top', said Dr Tedros, who recently cut his executive team in half from 14 to seven. 'At the end of the day we will be smaller but more focused. We will be sharper and more empowered and independent. That's the opportunity.' Dr Tedros said the door would always be open to the US rejoining the WHO and that he hoped it would reconsider its position. He said he also hoped it would honour the estimated $350 million in arrears it owes the WHO but conceded that did not look likely as things stand. But ultimately the question of the US rejoining was not about money, said Dr Tedros. On that front the WHO was already 'shaping up and moving forward'. 'It's about safety. If they're out, then they will not be safe. And I'm sure the rest of the world will not be safe,' he said. 'So the money doesn't come first. When I ask them to reconsider, it's about the other things. Being part of the family, about cooperation and partnership, about the expertise we get from the US, and also their leadership.' Yet relations between the Trump administration and the WHO remain tense and a reversal of the US position seems unlikely. In his recent video message, RFK Jr described the WHO as a 'legacy' organisation 'mired in bureaucratic bloat, entrenched paradigms, conflicts of interest and international power politics.' The falling out dates back to President Trump's first term in office when he accused China – without evidence – of starting the Covid-19 pandemic through a lab leak. He then made certain unspecified demands of the WHO which Dr Tedros said were not possible to meet without sacrificing the organisation's independence. 'Our independence is the most important thing of all,' said Dr Tedros. 'The Director General should decide, without fear of any repercussion… I cannot give away the value of the organisation, even if it's for money. No way. So I said 'no'. I knew [then] the repercussion.' The situation, said Dr Tedros, is made more bizarre as the official positions of the US and the WHO on the origins of Sars-Cov-2 are the same: both are undecided and say it could have come from nature or a lab leak. He said this point was made together with others at a recent meeting with representatives of the Heritage Foundation, a US think tank closely aligned with the US administration, but that the established facts were rejected. 'What they have is contrary to what the truth is', said Dr Tedros. 'It's very difficult even to discuss with them, because it's not rational'.
