NEW YORK (July 9, 2020)—TB Alliance supports recent commentaries including those in The Lancet and from the Global Health Council and the Global Health Technologies Coalition, opposing the United States’ (U.S.) decision to begin the process to withdraw as a member of the World Health Organization (WHO). The WHO is an essential institution for marshaling global action and coordination against numerous neglected diseases and global health threats including the COVID-19 pandemic.
“Ending the U.S. relationship is not in the best interests of the United States or the global community,” said Mel Spigelman, MD, president and CEO of TB Alliance. “Severing ties with the WHO can only serve to worsen the present situation.”
The WHO plays a significant role in collecting and sharing global health intelligence, which enables organizations like TB Alliance to understand the burden of disease and reach those most in need. Without WHO’s global coordination capabilities, no single country can effectively prevent, detect or respond to emerging health threats.
Working across six regions and from more than 150 offices, the WHO is uniquely positioned to achieve improved health outcomes for all countries. The world is in the midst of a pandemic that has already killed more than 130,000 Americans and more than half a million people worldwide. Defeating global health threats requires even greater global coordination through organizations such as the WHO.