WHO asks Trump to reconsider decision to leave... "concerns about deteriorating global health"

Shortly after U.S. President Trump announced his withdrawal from the Paris Climate Agreement and the World Health Organization (WHO), the WHO expressed regret over the decision to withdraw and asked for reconsideration.

According to Bloomberg News and others, the WHO says it plays an important role in protecting the health and security of people around the world, including Americans, and hopes President Trump will reconsider.

The WHO said it has ended smallpox with the international community and is close to eradicating polio, adding that President Trump's decision to withdraw could worsen the global health situation.

The European Commission also expressed regret over Trump's decision to leave the WHO, saying it could weaken the response to the pandemic in the future.

The Commission said international cooperation is needed to respond flexibly to international health threats, and that it believes the Trump administration will consider all of them before official withdrawal.

The Chinese government has announced that it will continue its support for the WHO.

A Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson said the WHO's role should be strengthened, not weakened, and that China, as always, will work to support the WHO in its responsibilities and build a common health community for humanity.

Microsoft founder Bill Gates' Gates Foundation, one of the WHO's major donors, also reaffirmed its continued support for the WHO, saying it plays an important role in fighting the health threat that affects everyone, including Americans.

The United States is the largest donor country responsible for $1.3 billion (about 1.8608 trillion won) out of $6.7 billion (about 9.58 trillion won) in the WHO budget for the fiscal year 2022-2023.