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U.K. Pledges Some $250 Million to WHO, Charities in Virus Fight

The U.K. is giving 65 million pounds ($81 million) in aid to the World Health Organization to tackle the coronavirus pandemic.

U.K. Pledges Some $250 Million to WHO, Charities in Virus Fight
Joggers pass in view of Tower Bridge in London, U.K., on April 9, 2020. (Photographer: Simon Dawson/Bloomberg)

(Bloomberg) -- The U.K. is giving 65 million pounds ($81 million) in aid to the World Health Organization to tackle the coronavirus pandemic as part of a broader 200 million-pound package, days after U.S. President Donald Trump threatened to pull funding from the organization.

Pressure is building on global bodies and governments to coordinate with each other as hotspots in Europe consider easing lockdown measures while the number of cases worldwide nears 2 million. The U.K.’s Department for International Development said in a statement on Sunday that the funding will help prevent the virus from spreading in developing countries and sparking a second rise of infections in the U.K.

The British government pledged the WHO money as Trump criticized the organization for being too lenient about China’s efforts to contain the virus at the start of the outbreak. The rest of the money will go to charities such as the International Red Cross.

“The United Kingdom’s generous contribution is a strong statement that this is a global threat that demands a global response. WHO is deeply grateful to the government and people of the United Kingdom for their generous contribution,” the WHO’s Director-General Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said.

The new measures take the amount of U.K. aid to tackle the virus to 744 million pounds. “Coronavirus does not respect country borders so our ability to protect the British public will only be effective if we strengthen the healthcare systems of vulnerable developing countries too,” International Development Secretary Anne-Marie Trevelyan said.

Trump said on Friday that the U.S. would be discussing the role of the organization next week, suggesting he would examine America’s contributions to the WHO. “As you know we give them approximately $500 million a year and we’re going to be talking about that subject next week. We’ll have a lot to say about it. We’ll hold it,” he said.

©2020 Bloomberg L.P.