foreignpolicy--2020-04-29--WHO Becomes Battleground as Trump Chooses Pandemic Confrontation Over Cooperation

The Trump administration is seeking to enlist the support of key allies to restore Taiwan ’ s status as an observer at the World Health Organization , setting the stage for a fresh confrontation with China as the world struggles to contain the coronavirus pandemic , according to diplomatic sources and notes of internal meetings at the global health agency .
The United States and Japan are asking key like-minded nations , including Australia , the United Kingdom , France , and Germany , to co-sign a draft letter to Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus , the director-general of WHO , requesting @ @ @ @ @ @ @ World Health Assembly , the United Nations health agency ’ s key decision-making body , which is expected to meet virtually in mid-May .
The WHO initiative has a limited chance of success since nothing irks Beijing more than support for Taiwan , which it regards as a renegade province , and China is likely to retaliate against any move by Tedros or by other governments to include Taiwan in deliberations on public health .
But the Trump administration ’ s bid provides the latest sign that Washington is placing a higher priority @ @ @ @ @ @ @ chief geostrategic adversary , than exploring ways the two superpowers , or other governments for that matter , could collaborate in preventing the spread of the coronavirus .
There is considerable support in Washington and other foreign capitals for Taiwan—a country of 24 million that has responded effectively to the pandemic—to participate in World Health Organization discussions .
But some of Washington ’ s key allies fear Chinese reprisals if they promote Taiwan ’ s case , and critics suspect the White House initiative is part of a broader diplomatic campaign to keep @ @ @ @ @ @ @ China and the World Health Organization to distract attention from its own shortcomings .
“ It ’ s destructive diplomacy , and it ’ s not just going to hurt some faceless bureaucracy , ” said Ilona Kickbusch , a German political scientist who serves as an adjunct professor at the Graduate Institute of International and Development Studies in Geneva .
Kickbusch , who previously worked for WHO , said the U.S. attack on the health agency has put off its negotiating partners , which feel Washington is not acting in good faith @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the U.S. has given up its leadership position , and people don ’ t trust them anymore , ” she said .
For the United States , the gambit would test the willingness of Tedros and key allies to stand up to China , which Washington emphasizes has suppressed information about the virus and its origins , intimidated and censored its doctors and researchers who spoke out , and imposed some of the world ’ s most draconian travel restrictions on its citizens with virtually no public pushback or criticism from the U.N. @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Tedros and other top WHO officials have repeatedly showered unrestrained praise on China , portraying Beijing ’ s often authoritarian public health response as a model for the world in language that mimicked Chinese government talking points .
“ In many ways , China is actually setting a new standard for outbreak response .
It ’ s not an exaggeration , ” Tedros said on Jan. 30 .
“ The speed with which China detected the outbreak , isolated the virus , sequenced the genome and shared it with WHO and the world @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ” The United States has little to show for its efforts , facing stiff opposition from allies and rivals to any attempts to lay blame for the disease ’ s spread on Beijing or WH0For the past month , U.S. diplomats in Geneva , New York , and Washington have invested enormous political capital in highlighting the Chinese origins of the new coronavirus and casting a harsh spotlight on the U.N. health agency ’ s uncritical praise of the Chinese government .
U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo reiterated U.S. plans to conduct @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to the pandemic to determine whether to continue financial support for the health agency .
“ We ’ re the biggest contributor to the World Health Organization , ” Pompeo said on April 29 .
“ It failed in its mission here .
And so we ’ re conducting a review to figure out how best to use American taxpayer money to deliver real outcomes.
” But the United States is struggling to win support for a proposal to conduct an early review of WHO ’ s response to the pandemic to test @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ s initial efforts to conceal the seriousness of the virus in the critical first weeks .
On April 29 , the United States distributed a proposal to “ immediately initiate an independent expert evaluation , in consultation with Member States , to review lessons learned from the WHO-coordinated international health response to COVID-19 , ” according to the confidential proposal , which was reviewed by Foreign Policy .
The evaluation would address the “ adequacy of WHO and Member State actions … since the outbreak began ; a full assessment of the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ aimed at containing the outbreak of the source.
” The United States has little to show for its efforts , facing stiff opposition from allies and rivals to any attempts to lay blame for the disease ’ s spread on Beijing or the U.N. health agency .
Many of Washington ’ s allies agree that WHO has shown excessive deference to China , but they believe it has played a vital role in organizing the international response , producing testing kits , and providing advice to states on how to stem the spread @ @ @ @ @ @ @ funding would be reckless , weakening the world ’ s leading health agency in the middle of a pandemic and jeopardizing a whole set of programs that fight polio , HIV/AIDS , and other infectious diseases .
Australia , which initially supported a U.S. call for an early review of WHO ’ s response to the pandemic , signaled this week in a closed-door meeting with WHO delegates that it is prepared to wait until the crisis has abated before such a review to be conducted , according to diplomatic sources .
Representatives @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and Europe have rallied to Tedros ’ s defense , arguing that the U.N. health agency needs the support of the international community as it grapples with the worst pandemic in a century .
During an April 16 briefing of key member states by Tedros , Andrew Bremberg , the U.S. ambassador to the United Nations in Geneva , found himself playing defense as representatives from African , European , and other Western countries , including Canada , Sweden , and Namibia , expressed confidence in Tedros ’ s leadership , while the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ role in preventing the spread of the virus .
France , meanwhile , voiced regret over the U.S. decision to withdraw funding , which President Donald Trump announced two days before the briefing .
Bremberg said that while the United States remains committed to battling the pandemic , it has concerns that other countries—an apparent veiled reference to China—have not demonstrated a commitment to sharing information in a “ timely , complete , transparent , and accurate way , ” according to an account of the meeting .
Bremberg insisted that the U.S. @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Health Organization was not intended as a personal attack on the organization , and that the United States recognized the tireless effort of WHO staffers to combat the virus .
But he said Washington believes WHO leadership has been unable or unwilling to demonstrate its independence .
Bremberg was largely silent on the need for an independent investigation into WHO ’ s response to the coronavirus , something that Senate Republicans insist is necessary to persuade Washington to keep funding the health agency .
But diplomats say that Bremberg has been quietly trying @ @ @ @ @ @ @ could take place without harming the international response to the pandemic .
Such an approach , he argued , could deter China from misbehaving in the future .
WHO traditionally carries out reviews of the international response to pandemics , as it did after the 2014 Ebola pandemic .
And Tedros has pledged to conduct an “ after-action ” report once the crisis is over .
“ For us to be distracted and asked to do an inquiry right in the middle of everybody working flat-out to try to keep people together to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ virus is frankly inappropriate.
” “ What we will do in the World Health Organization , as always happens , is a very detailed and forensic examination of exactly what happened on what days .
Who knew what , who told who what .
And that will be the right thing to do , ” David Nabarro , WHO ’ s special envoy for COVID-19 , told the BBC ’ s HardTalk .
“ We have a massive global emergency , and it ’ s absolutely essential that we all focus on that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ asked to do an inquiry right in the middle of everybody working flat-out to try to keep people together to do what ’ s necessary with this virus is frankly inappropriate.
” Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison called for an independent review of the international response to the coronavirus pandemic and suggested that WHO members sign on to an agreement to allow health inspectors , modeled on U.N. weapons inspectors , to investigate infectious disease outbreaks .
It remains unclear whether the United States would support the Australian proposal , which could potentially @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of its own response to the pandemic .
The United States is now home to nearly a third of the world ’ s confirmed coronavirus cases , with close to 60,000 deaths .
China sent a clear signal that it would not support such a review , warning the Australian government that it risks a boycott of Australian products in China , according to Australia ’ s Sky News .
Canberra subsequently signaled it may be distancing itself from Washington ’ s push for a swift investigation .
During a virtual meeting Monday @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a formal review of the pandemic could wait until after the crisis has abated .
The EU , meanwhile , has introduced a compromise proposal that would call for conducting an evaluation of gaps in pandemic preparedness and lessons learned from the international response to the coronavirus pandemic “ at the earliest appropriate moment.
” Diplomats say such an evaluation would not occur until the pandemic has subsided and would focus more broadly on the international community ’ s response to the virus , not just on the origins of the virus .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ be some form of review , the diplomat said , “ but not on terms the U.S. wants that will produce a smoking gun that links WHO and Chinese colluding in some grand cover-up.
” “ The call for review is only on training wheels and not likely to find wider momentum , ” one senior diplomat said .
“ I do not feel that Washington is gaining much traction here .
No one except the U.S. believes that they should pull out the firefighters while they are fighting this fire to question @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
In the end , there will likely be some form of review , the diplomat said , “ but not on terms the U.S. wants that will produce a smoking gun that links WHO and Chinese colluding in some grand cover-up.
” U.S. lawmakers have split along partisan lines , with Sen. Jim Risch , the chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee , and several fellow Republican senators appealing to U.N. Secretary-General António Guterres to convene an independent panel of experts to review WHO ’ s response to COVID-19 , writing @ @ @ @ @ @ @ remarkable deference to the Chinese government throughout this pandemic.
” A top Republican strategist and candidate advisor , Brett O ’ Donnell , drafted a 57-page memo urging candidates to blame China for “ covering up ” knowledge about the spread of the coronavirus , a centerpiece of the Republicans ’ 2020 campaign .
The memo—which was published by Politico and distributed to Republican campaign operatives by the National Republican Senatorial Committee—also targets the U.N. health agency in a section titled “ Hit—WHO.
” “ The WHO aided and abetted the Chinese hit-and-run @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the facts—they acted as the handmaiden of the Chinese Communist Party , ” is one key line of argument for Republican candidates outlined in the memo .
But there were signs of unease in Republican ranks about the wisdom of choking off WHO ’ s funding in the midst of a pandemic .
On April 16 , Sen. Roy Blunt , a Missouri Republican , told a local radio station that he hoped Trump wouldn ’ t follow through on his threat to cut funding .
“ If the coronavirus has taught us @ @ @ @ @ @ @ we are not isolated from the rest of the world , ” he said .
Democratic lawmakers , meanwhile , have lambasted the president for mounting what they view as a self-serving attack on the U.N. health agency to distract attention from his own failings .
“ President Trump ’ s decision to halt funding for the World Health Organization ( WHO ) in the midst of a global pandemic is counterproductive and puts lives at risk , ” Democratic Rep. Eliot Engel , the chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Secretary of State Pompeo .
“ The WHO ’ s efforts to help slow the spread and flatten the curve have been invaluable .
“ The Administration ’ s response , on the other hand , has been calamitous .
A growing record of public reporting points to the President ’ s policy of denial , deflection , and delay , despite ample intelligence and expertise that warned of this pandemic ’ s lethal potential ” Engel said .
“ For the entire month of February , the President , along with some @ @ @ @ @ @ @ American people to believe that this crisis was under control.
” The World Health Organization was established in 1948 , shortly after World War II , to promote global health and to coordinate the international fight against disease , from polio and malaria to HIV/AIDS , Ebola , and the coronavirus .
The agency faced criticism of what was largely viewed as a slow , ineffective response to the 2014 outbreak of the Ebola virus in West Africa .
WHO has faced a new round of criticism , particularly from the White House @ @ @ @ @ @ @ for its initial response to the virus , which was marked by the suppression of critical information about the nature of the virus and the intimidation and censorship of health specialists who sought to raise the alarm .
Critics have seized on a Jan. 14 tweet from the official WHO account reporting that “ preliminary investigations conducted by the Chinese authorities have found no clear evidence of human-to-human transmission of the novel # coronavirus ( 2019-nCoV ) identified in # Wuhan , # China.
” The White House attack against WHO began in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ was facing mounting criticism for a sluggish response to the coronavirus in the United States , which has emerged as the global epicenter of the virus .
The White House said that WHO ignored a Dec. 31 warning from Taiwan that the pathogen was being conveyed through human-to-human transmission , a clear indication that the virus would be spreading widely .
In an April 8 press conference , Trump threatened to cut off funding to the World Health Organization , arguing it withheld information on the virus ’ spread in China and displayed @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Trump also took offense that WHO responded to his decision to ban entry of non-U.S. citizens from China in February with a recommendation that countries not close their borders and prohibit travel to places afflicted by the virus .
U.S. officials have noted that Tedros has not similarly criticized China for imposing a draconian travel ban inside Hubei province at the height of the pandemic , preventing millions of Chinese citizens from leaving the region .
By April 14 , the United States announced it would place a hold on funding to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ organization ’ s mismanagement of the novel coronavirus outbreak.
” Tedros and his team have mounted an aggressive effort to defend their handling of the crisis .
Tedros and his team have mounted an aggressive effort to defend their handling of the crisis , posting a timeline of key developments in the pandemic and holding daily press conferences and weekly briefings with ambassadors in Geneva .
In a press conference last week , Tedros denied that Taiwan had provided WHO with any evidence of human-to-human transmission .
“ So we didn ’ t @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Taiwan on Dec. 31 , ” he told reporters .
He also cautioned world leaders not to take advantage of the pandemic to score political points .
“ Don ’ t use this virus as an opportunity to fight against each other or score political points , it ’ s dangerous , it ’ s like playing with fire , ” he said .
“ We ’ re seeing the tragedy , and we need global solidarity.
” But the United States has continued to invest its diplomatic energy in holding China publicly @ @ @ @ @ @ @ counterparts to show appreciation for WHO .
Earlier this month , the United States held up passage of a U.N. Security Council resolution promoting a series of cease-fires from Libya to Yemen by insisting the measure refer to the coronavirus as the “ Wuhan virus , ” a reference to the city where the virus first emerged .
France and other governments persuaded Washington to drop the demand , noting that Beijing would veto any characterization of its role in the origins of the pandemic .
Whatever merits there may be in holding @ @ @ @ @ @ @ early stages of the pathogen ’ s release into the human population , diplomats argued , it would be better to strike a compromise with China .
Since then , U.S. negotiators in New York have raised a new hurdle , insisting that the resolution , which was drafted by the French and now includes amendments from the council ’ s nonpermanent members , strike any reference to WHO ’ s critical role in organizing the international response .
China has responded by pressing for even stronger language supporting the organization .
Earlier @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to block the 193-member General Assembly from adopting a legally nonbinding resolution promoting universal access to life-saving vaccines , therapeutic medications , lab tests , and other essential equipment needed for poor countries to battle the coronavirus , and asserting the “ right of every human being , without distinction of any kind , to the enjoyment of the highest attainable standard of physical and mental health.
” The resolution was adopted by consensus .
The United States , which does not have veto power in the General Assembly , made it clear @ @ @ @ @ @ @ resolution that voiced support for the U.N. health agency .
But it did not exercise its authority to block consensus , a move that would have forced the U.N. membership to vote on the resolution .
Instead , the United States waited till the measure had passed before appealing to General Assembly President Tijjani Muhammad-Bande to block the resolution ’ s adoption .
But it was too late .
In a formal statement issued after the resolution was passed , the United States said that while it generally agreed with the goals of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ disassociate itself from a provision acknowledging that WHO is playing a “ crucial leading role ” in battling the virus .
It also objected to a request for the U.N. chief , in collaboration with WHO , to set up an interagency task force to brief the General Assembly on its efforts to promote global access to such medicines and equipment .
“ While the United States acknowledges the WHO should play a role in the efforts to end this outbreak , we remain seriously concerned with the lack of independence that the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ this pandemic , ” according to a U.S. statement .
“ We have serious concerns about how the World Health Organization has responded to the pandemic and the creation of layers of UN bureaucracy devoid of controls to ensure independence , accountability , and transparency.
” In a written response to questions from Foreign Policy , a State Department spokesperson noted that U.S. agencies have provided WHO with $ 400 million in FY 2019 , and noted that that previously obligated funding would not be impacted by the Trump administration ’ s 60-90 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ review .
“ The United States invests a great deal in international organizations such as the World Health Organization — much more than any other nation , ” the State Department spokesman wrote .
“ We will never apologize for demanding that these organization serve their intended role and that American tax dollars be well spent and accounted for.
” The United States , meanwhile , has continued to press for a standoff with China .
In a virtual meeting , U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services Alex Azar voiced support for @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the WHO , ” according to a Taiwanese government readout of the 30-minute meeting with Taiwan ’ s Health Minister Chen Shih-chung .
Taiwan was granted observer status at WHO ’ s decision-making body , the World Health Assembly , in 2008 , but Beijing blocked its participation in 2016 , following the election of Taiwan ’ s President Tsai Ing-wen , who pledged to preserve the island ’ s sovereignty despite China ’ s effort to exercise ever greater control over it .
Tsai was reelected president in January in what was @ @ @ @ @ @ @ s increasingly heavy-handed policies to exert greater influence over the people of Hong Kong and Taiwan .
The U.S. move to support Taiwan ’ s return to the World Health Assembly comes more than a month after Trump signed legislation urging the U.S. government to advocate greater Taiwanese participation in international organizations .
It also places the U.N. health agency squarely in the middle of a global battle between two superpowers .
In a sign of the sensitivity of the subject , a senior WHO official , Bruce Aylward , tried to dodge @ @ @ @ @ @ @ about whether WHO might reconsider Taiwan ’ s membership in the health agency .
When the reporter pressed Aylward to answer , he appeared to end the video call .
The United States , meanwhile , has put the World Health Organization on notice that it risks further jeopardizing U.S. funding for the organization unless it quickly changes its tone .
“ When you see the influence that the Chinese Communist Party had as they were debating how to handle this virus in January of this year , and when you think about @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to the world , ” Pompeo said , “ it is an obligation to reconsider whether that vehicle is the right one to deliver pandemic response systems for the world.
” This story has been updated to include remarks from a State Department spokesperson .

The Trump administration is seeking to enlist the support of key allies to restore Taiwan’s status as an observer at the World Health Organization, setting the stage for a fresh confrontation with China as the world struggles to contain the coronavirus pandemic, according to diplomatic sources and notes of internal meetings at the global health agency.
The Trump administration is seeking to enlist the support of key allies to restore Taiwan’s status as an observer at the World Health Organization, setting the stage for a fresh confrontation with China as the world struggles to contain the coronavirus pandemic, according to diplomatic sources and notes of internal meetings at the global health agency.
The United States and Japan are asking key like-minded nations, including Australia, the United Kingdom, France, and Germany, to co-sign a draft letter to Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, the director-general of WHO, requesting he invite the Taiwanese delegation to the World Health Assembly, the United Nations health agency’s key decision-making body, which is expected to meet virtually in mid-May.
The WHO initiative has a limited chance of success since nothing irks Beijing more than support for Taiwan, which it regards as a renegade province, and China is likely to retaliate against any move by Tedros or by other governments to include Taiwan in deliberations on public health. But the Trump administration’s bid provides the latest sign that Washington is placing a higher priority on eliciting criticism of China, its chief geostrategic adversary, than exploring ways the two superpowers, or other governments for that matter, could collaborate in preventing the spread of the coronavirus.
There is considerable support in Washington and other foreign capitals for Taiwan—a country of 24 million that has responded effectively to the pandemic—to participate in World Health Organization discussions.
But some of Washington’s key allies fear Chinese reprisals if they promote Taiwan’s case, and critics suspect the White House initiative is part of a broader diplomatic campaign to keep the world focused on the failings of China and the World Health Organization to distract attention from its own shortcomings.
“It’s destructive diplomacy, and it’s not just going to hurt some faceless bureaucracy,” said Ilona Kickbusch, a German political scientist who serves as an adjunct professor at the Graduate Institute of International and Development Studies in Geneva. Kickbusch, who previously worked for WHO, said the U.S. attack on the health agency has put off its negotiating partners, which feel Washington is not acting in good faith. “It’s over, the U.S. has given up its leadership position, and people don’t trust them anymore,” she said.
For the United States, the gambit would test the willingness of Tedros and key allies to stand up to China, which Washington emphasizes has suppressed information about the virus and its origins, intimidated and censored its doctors and researchers who spoke out, and imposed some of the world’s most draconian travel restrictions on its citizens with virtually no public pushback or criticism from the U.N. health agency. On the contrary, Tedros and other top WHO officials have repeatedly showered unrestrained praise on China, portraying Beijing’s often authoritarian public health response as a model for the world in language that mimicked Chinese government talking points. “In many ways, China is actually setting a new standard for outbreak response. It’s not an exaggeration,” Tedros said on Jan. 30. “The speed with which China detected the outbreak, isolated the virus, sequenced the genome and shared it with WHO and the world are very impressive, and beyond words.”
The United States has little to show for its efforts, facing stiff opposition from allies and rivals to any attempts to lay blame for the disease’s spread on Beijing or WH0For the past month, U.S. diplomats in Geneva, New York, and Washington have invested enormous political capital in highlighting the Chinese origins of the new coronavirus and casting a harsh spotlight on the U.N. health agency’s uncritical praise of the Chinese government.
U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo reiterated U.S. plans to conduct a review of WHO’s response to the pandemic to determine whether to continue financial support for the health agency. “We’re the biggest contributor to the World Health Organization,” Pompeo said on April 29. “It failed in its mission here. And so we’re conducting a review to figure out how best to use American taxpayer money to deliver real outcomes.”
But the United States is struggling to win support for a proposal to conduct an early review of WHO’s response to the pandemic to test White House allegations that it abetted China’s initial efforts to conceal the seriousness of the virus in the critical first weeks.
On April 29, the United States distributed a proposal to “immediately initiate an independent expert evaluation, in consultation with Member States, to review lessons learned from the WHO-coordinated international health response to COVID-19,” according to the confidential proposal, which was reviewed by Foreign Policy. The evaluation would address the “adequacy of WHO and Member State actions … since the outbreak began; a full assessment of the timelines, accuracy, and information sharing aimed at containing the outbreak of the source.”
The United States has little to show for its efforts, facing stiff opposition from allies and rivals to any attempts to lay blame for the disease’s spread on Beijing or the U.N. health agency.
Many of Washington’s allies agree that WHO has shown excessive deference to China, but they believe it has played a vital role in organizing the international response, producing testing kits, and providing advice to states on how to stem the spread. They say a cut in U.S. funding would be reckless, weakening the world’s leading health agency in the middle of a pandemic and jeopardizing a whole set of programs that fight polio, HIV/AIDS, and other infectious diseases.
Australia, which initially supported a U.S. call for an early review of WHO’s response to the pandemic, signaled this week in a closed-door meeting with WHO delegates that it is prepared to wait until the crisis has abated before such a review to be conducted, according to diplomatic sources.
Representatives of governments from Africa, Asia, and Europe have rallied to Tedros’s defense, arguing that the U.N. health agency needs the support of the international community as it grapples with the worst pandemic in a century.
During an April 16 briefing of key member states by Tedros, Andrew Bremberg, the U.S. ambassador to the United Nations in Geneva, found himself playing defense as representatives from African, European, and other Western countries, including Canada, Sweden, and Namibia, expressed confidence in Tedros’s leadership, while the European Union underscored WHO’s central role in preventing the spread of the virus. France, meanwhile, voiced regret over the U.S. decision to withdraw funding, which President Donald Trump announced two days before the briefing.
World Health Organization Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus attends a news briefing on the coronavirus in Geneva on March 11, the day the WHO classified the outbreak a pandemic.
Bremberg said that while the United States remains committed to battling the pandemic, it has concerns that other countries—an apparent veiled reference to China—have not demonstrated a commitment to sharing information in a “timely, complete, transparent, and accurate way,” according to an account of the meeting.
Bremberg insisted that the U.S. decision to withhold funding to the World Health Organization was not intended as a personal attack on the organization, and that the United States recognized the tireless effort of WHO staffers to combat the virus. But he said Washington believes WHO leadership has been unable or unwilling to demonstrate its independence.
Bremberg was largely silent on the need for an independent investigation into WHO’s response to the coronavirus, something that Senate Republicans insist is necessary to persuade Washington to keep funding the health agency. But diplomats say that Bremberg has been quietly trying to persuade countries that an immediate investigation could take place without harming the international response to the pandemic. Such an approach, he argued, could deter China from misbehaving in the future.
WHO traditionally carries out reviews of the international response to pandemics, as it did after the 2014 Ebola pandemic. And Tedros has pledged to conduct an “after-action” report once the crisis is over.
“For us to be distracted and asked to do an inquiry right in the middle of everybody working flat-out to try to keep people together to do what’s necessary with this virus is frankly inappropriate.”
“What we will do in the World Health Organization, as always happens, is a very detailed and forensic examination of exactly what happened on what days. Who knew what, who told who what. And that will be the right thing to do,” David Nabarro, WHO’s special envoy for COVID-19, told the BBC’s HardTalk. “We have a massive global emergency, and it’s absolutely essential that we all focus on that. For us to be distracted and asked to do an inquiry right in the middle of everybody working flat-out to try to keep people together to do what’s necessary with this virus is frankly inappropriate.”
Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison called for an independent review of the international response to the coronavirus pandemic and suggested that WHO members sign on to an agreement to allow health inspectors, modeled on U.N. weapons inspectors, to investigate infectious disease outbreaks.
It remains unclear whether the United States would support the Australian proposal, which could potentially expose Washington itself to an embarrassing assessment of its own response to the pandemic. The United States is now home to nearly a third of the world’s confirmed coronavirus cases, with close to 60,000 deaths.
China sent a clear signal that it would not support such a review, warning the Australian government that it risks a boycott of Australian products in China, according to Australia’s Sky News. Canberra subsequently signaled it may be distancing itself from Washington’s push for a swift investigation. During a virtual meeting Monday hosted by the EU, Australia indicated a formal review of the pandemic could wait until after the crisis has abated.
The EU, meanwhile, has introduced a compromise proposal that would call for conducting an evaluation of gaps in pandemic preparedness and lessons learned from the international response to the coronavirus pandemic “at the earliest appropriate moment.” Diplomats say such an evaluation would not occur until the pandemic has subsided and would focus more broadly on the international community’s response to the virus, not just on the origins of the virus.
In the end, there will likely be some form of review, the diplomat said, “but not on terms the U.S. wants that will produce a smoking gun that links WHO and Chinese colluding in some grand cover-up.”
“The call for review is only on training wheels and not likely to find wider momentum,” one senior diplomat said. “I do not feel that Washington is gaining much traction here. No one except the U.S. believes that they should pull out the firefighters while they are fighting this fire to question them” as part of an investigation. In the end, there will likely be some form of review, the diplomat said, “but not on terms the U.S. wants that will produce a smoking gun that links WHO and Chinese colluding in some grand cover-up.”
U.S. lawmakers have split along partisan lines, with Sen. Jim Risch, the chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, and several fellow Republican senators appealing to U.N. Secretary-General António Guterres to convene an independent panel of experts to review WHO’s response to COVID-19, writing that “WHO appears to have shown remarkable deference to the Chinese government throughout this pandemic.”
A top Republican strategist and candidate advisor, Brett O’Donnell, drafted a 57-page memo urging candidates to blame China for “covering up” knowledge about the spread of the coronavirus, a centerpiece of the Republicans’ 2020 campaign. The memo—which was published by Politico and distributed to Republican campaign operatives by the National Republican Senatorial Committee—also targets the U.N. health agency in a section titled “Hit—WHO.”
“The WHO aided and abetted the Chinese hit-and-run, and advanced their cover up of the facts—they acted as the handmaiden of the Chinese Communist Party,” is one key line of argument for Republican candidates outlined in the memo.
But there were signs of unease in Republican ranks about the wisdom of choking off WHO’s funding in the midst of a pandemic. On April 16, Sen. Roy Blunt, a Missouri Republican, told a local radio station that he hoped Trump wouldn’t follow through on his threat to cut funding. “If the coronavirus has taught us anything it should have taught us that we are not isolated from the rest of the world,” he said.
Democratic lawmakers, meanwhile, have lambasted the president for mounting what they view as a self-serving attack on the U.N. health agency to distract attention from his own failings.
“President Trump’s decision to halt funding for the World Health Organization (WHO) in the midst of a global pandemic is counterproductive and puts lives at risk,” Democratic Rep. Eliot Engel, the chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, wrote in an April 27 letter to Secretary of State Pompeo. “The WHO’s efforts to help slow the spread and flatten the curve have been invaluable.
“The Administration’s response, on the other hand, has been calamitous. A growing record of public reporting points to the President’s policy of denial, deflection, and delay, despite ample intelligence and expertise that warned of this pandemic’s lethal potential” Engel said. “For the entire month of February, the President, along with some of his closest advisors, led the American people to believe that this crisis was under control.”
The World Health Organization was established in 1948, shortly after World War II, to promote global health and to coordinate the international fight against disease, from polio and malaria to HIV/AIDS, Ebola, and the coronavirus. The agency faced criticism of what was largely viewed as a slow, ineffective response to the 2014 outbreak of the Ebola virus in West Africa.
WHO has faced a new round of criticism, particularly from the White House, for its failure to criticize China for its initial response to the virus, which was marked by the suppression of critical information about the nature of the virus and the intimidation and censorship of health specialists who sought to raise the alarm. Critics have seized on a Jan. 14 tweet from the official WHO account reporting that “preliminary investigations conducted by the Chinese authorities have found no clear evidence of human-to-human transmission of the novel #coronavirus (2019-nCoV) identified in #Wuhan, #China.”
Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen poses for a photograph with soldiers and other officials, all masked amid the coronavirus pandemic, during her visit to a military base in Tainan, southern Taiwan, on April 9.
The White House attack against WHO began in early April, a time when Trump was facing mounting criticism for a sluggish response to the coronavirus in the United States, which has emerged as the global epicenter of the virus. The White House said that WHO ignored a Dec. 31 warning from Taiwan that the pathogen was being conveyed through human-to-human transmission, a clear indication that the virus would be spreading widely.
In an April 8 press conference, Trump threatened to cut off funding to the World Health Organization, arguing it withheld information on the virus’ spread in China and displayed a pro-Chinese bias in its public statements. Trump also took offense that WHO responded to his decision to ban entry of non-U.S. citizens from China in February with a recommendation that countries not close their borders and prohibit travel to places afflicted by the virus. U.S. officials have noted that Tedros has not similarly criticized China for imposing a draconian travel ban inside Hubei province at the height of the pandemic, preventing millions of Chinese citizens from leaving the region. By April 14, the United States announced it would place a hold on funding to WHO “pending a review of the organization’s mismanagement of the novel coronavirus outbreak.”
Tedros and his team have mounted an aggressive effort to defend their handling of the crisis.
Tedros and his team have mounted an aggressive effort to defend their handling of the crisis, posting a timeline of key developments in the pandemic and holding daily press conferences and weekly briefings with ambassadors in Geneva.
In a press conference last week, Tedros denied that Taiwan had provided WHO with any evidence of human-to-human transmission. “So we didn’t receive the existence of human-to-human transmission from Taiwan on Dec. 31,” he told reporters.
He also cautioned world leaders not to take advantage of the pandemic to score political points.
“Don’t use this virus as an opportunity to fight against each other or score political points, it’s dangerous, it’s like playing with fire,” he said. “We’re seeing the tragedy, and we need global solidarity.”
But the United States has continued to invest its diplomatic energy in holding China publicly accountable for missteps and blocking moves by counterparts to show appreciation for WHO.
Earlier this month, the United States held up passage of a U.N. Security Council resolution promoting a series of cease-fires from Libya to Yemen by insisting the measure refer to the coronavirus as the “Wuhan virus,” a reference to the city where the virus first emerged. France and other governments persuaded Washington to drop the demand, noting that Beijing would veto any characterization of its role in the origins of the pandemic. Whatever merits there may be in holding China accountable for its shortcomings in the early stages of the pathogen’s release into the human population, diplomats argued, it would be better to strike a compromise with China.
A staff member cleans the floor after all patients left Leishenshan Hospital in Wuhan in China's central Hubei province on April 14.
Since then, U.S. negotiators in New York have raised a new hurdle, insisting that the resolution, which was drafted by the French and now includes amendments from the council’s nonpermanent members, strike any reference to WHO’s critical role in organizing the international response. China has responded by pressing for even stronger language supporting the organization.
Earlier this month, the United States failed to block the 193-member General Assembly from adopting a legally nonbinding resolution promoting universal access to life-saving vaccines, therapeutic medications, lab tests, and other essential equipment needed for poor countries to battle the coronavirus, and asserting the “right of every human being, without distinction of any kind, to the enjoyment of the highest attainable standard of physical and mental health.”
The resolution was adopted by consensus.
The United States, which does not have veto power in the General Assembly, made it clear that it opposed key provisions in the resolution that voiced support for the U.N. health agency. But it did not exercise its authority to block consensus, a move that would have forced the U.N. membership to vote on the resolution. Instead, the United States waited till the measure had passed before appealing to General Assembly President Tijjani Muhammad-Bande to block the resolution’s adoption. But it was too late.
In a formal statement issued after the resolution was passed, the United States said that while it generally agreed with the goals of the Mexican-drafted resolution, it wanted to disassociate itself from a provision acknowledging that WHO is playing a “crucial leading role” in battling the virus. It also objected to a request for the U.N. chief, in collaboration with WHO, to set up an interagency task force to brief the General Assembly on its efforts to promote global access to such medicines and equipment.
“While the United States acknowledges the WHO should play a role in the efforts to end this outbreak, we remain seriously concerned with the lack of independence that the WHO has shown since the beginning of this pandemic,” according to a U.S. statement. “We have serious concerns about how the World Health Organization has responded to the pandemic and the creation of layers of UN bureaucracy devoid of controls to ensure independence, accountability, and transparency.”
In a written response to questions from Foreign Policy, a State Department spokesperson noted that U.S. agencies have provided WHO with $400 million in FY 2019, and noted that that previously obligated funding would not be impacted by the Trump administration’s 60-90 day halt on funding, pending a review.
“The United States invests a great deal in international organizations such as the World Health Organization — much more than any other nation,” the State Department spokesman wrote. “We will never apologize for demanding that these organization serve their intended role and that American tax dollars be well spent and accounted for.”
The United States, meanwhile, has continued to press for a standoff with China.
In a virtual meeting, U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services Alex Azar voiced support for “expanding Taiwan’s participation in the WHO,” according to a Taiwanese government readout of the 30-minute meeting with Taiwan’s Health Minister Chen Shih-chung.
Taiwan was granted observer status at WHO’s decision-making body, the World Health Assembly, in 2008, but Beijing blocked its participation in 2016, following the election of Taiwan’s President Tsai Ing-wen, who pledged to preserve the island’s sovereignty despite China’s effort to exercise ever greater control over it. Tsai was reelected president in January in what was seen as a rebuke to China’s increasingly heavy-handed policies to exert greater influence over the people of Hong Kong and Taiwan.
The U.S. move to support Taiwan’s return to the World Health Assembly comes more than a month after Trump signed legislation urging the U.S. government to advocate greater Taiwanese participation in international organizations. It also places the U.N. health agency squarely in the middle of a global battle between two superpowers. In a sign of the sensitivity of the subject, a senior WHO official, Bruce Aylward, tried to dodge a question from a Hong Kong reporter about whether WHO might reconsider Taiwan’s membership in the health agency. When the reporter pressed Aylward to answer, he appeared to end the video call.
The United States, meanwhile, has put the World Health Organization on notice that it risks further jeopardizing U.S. funding for the organization unless it quickly changes its tone. “When you see the influence that the Chinese Communist Party had as they were debating how to handle this virus in January of this year, and when you think about those things and the risks those pose to the world,” Pompeo said, “it is an obligation to reconsider whether that vehicle is the right one to deliver pandemic response systems for the world.”
This story has been updated to include remarks from a State Department spokesperson.


foreignpolicy--2020-04-29--It’s Time to Help Africa Fight the Virus

It ’ s Time to Help Africa Fight the Virus The next time you react when your six-foot perimeter is violated at a grocery store or on the sidewalk , imagine how much worse it could be .
For hundreds of millions of people who live in unplanned settlements , slums , and refugee camps around the world , anything approaching social distancing is a cruel impossibility .
Likewise , the next time you wash your hands , think of the 3 billion or so people who can not do so within the safety of their own homes due to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ wonder whether to call your doctor about a cough or fever , recall that Africa has less than one-tenth the number of doctors per capita as the United States and an even greater shortage of essential medical technology .
( Sierra Leone has only a handful of ventilators for nearly 8 million people . )
Johns Hopkins University ’ s global map tracking the coronavirus shows that it has barely reached sub-Saharan Africa yet , compared to most of the Northern Hemisphere .
There are only 33,748 reported cases as of April 27 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ reported globally .
But any serious global strategy to deal with this pandemic must look at the horizon , where a brewing African catastrophe is taking shape.If COVID-19 spreads across Africa , it would not only be a human catastrophe for the continent , but one that threatens the Northern Hemisphere .
If COVID-19 spreads across Africa , it would not only be a human catastrophe for the continent , but one that threatens the Northern Hemisphere with future outbreaks and further human and economic losses .
What is true in the United @ @ @ @ @ @ @ minority neighborhoods are dying in disproportionate numbers , is true for the world as a whole : No one will be safe so long as anyone is at risk .
If the United States , Europe , and others succeed in containing the virus in the coming months , there is no way contagion throughout Africa could be contained there .
A second wave rising in Africa would almost surely crash on U.S. shores .
In this way , the coronavirus pandemic has laid bare the world ’ s interdependence ; the future @ @ @ @ @ @ @ on the success of every community in Africa and elsewhere .
While giving priority to the fight here at home is essential , the time to help Africa fight the virus is now .
It ’ s true that Africa ’ s population is younger than most , with a median age of only 19.7 years , and potentially less vulnerable .
It ’ s also true that African urban areas are generally farther apart and Africans travel from area to area less frequently than in many of the world ’ s most @ @ @ @ @ @ @ such as Nigeria , Liberia , Uganda , and others that have dealt with Ebola , have built on their hard-won achievements and put into place structures from dealing with previous contagions .
But throughout the continent there are crowded slums ; challenged health systems ; scarce medical resources ; immune systems weakened by malnutrition , HIV , malaria , tuberculosis , and other diseases ; and growing but vulnerable economies .
These factors make the outlook grim .
That is why the World Health Organization ( WHO ) and leading advocates are @ @ @ @ @ @ @ As Americans have learned to their growing sorrow , a delayed start in responding fully to the pandemic means far more unnecessary deaths and greater economic loss than is necessary .
African leaders on the other hand have generally taken swift initial public health actions to combat COVID-19 .
South Africa , for example , imposed a nationwide state of disaster on March 15 , at a time when there were only 61 reported cases and no deaths .
This bought time for training , preparing , and protecting more health care workers @ @ @ @ @ @ @ pop-up clinics and employing contact tracing and isolation in high density areas .
South Africa ’ s curve has flattened for now , and the country has far fewer cases ( 4,793 ) than initially predicted.Because so many are living on the edge of poverty , lockdowns are becoming extremely challenging to maintain .
Some nations with strong community health programs and outreach workers , such as Rwanda and Ethiopia , are providing information and support through trusted community leaders to help deploy vast networks of contact tracing and community response .
Their @ @ @ @ @ @ @ programs provides a lesson for the United States , United Kingdom , and other high-income nations that are only now scrambling to develop a workforce capable of widespread contact tracing and community support before reopening the economy .
The government of Malawi is using predictive models previously developed for identifying hot spots for food insecurity and malaria risk to target assistance on areas likely to be hit the hardest by COVID-19 ( due to age , co-morbidities , population movements , and flu-like illnesses ) .
In such countries , fast-moving efforts may @ @ @ @ @ @ @ long enough to put into place high-volume testing , contact tracing , and isolation , as well as temporary intensive care facilities with respiratory support .
But because so many are living on the edge of poverty , lockdowns are becoming extremely challenging to maintain—as farmers are unable to transport their food , markets are closed , and those reliant on daily income from the informal labor market lose their means of sustenance , people run out of critical medicines , and pregnant women struggle to find timely transport before giving birth .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ indoor running water and toilets makes it difficult or impossible to obey “ wash your hands ” public service announcements .
For many African countries , a delayed but still exponential growth of COVID-19 cases seems very likely .
The Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention ( Africa CDC ) has called COVID-19 an “ existential threat , ” and reported a 43 percent increase in new cases over one week in April .
The WHO is warning that the continent could see 10 million cases .
Despite their best efforts to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ overrun by a lack of health care workers , an inability to maintain lockdown , and a supply of personal protective equipment , test kits , and ventilators choked off by global competition .
This deadly mix must be addressed and ameliorated through massive , urgent global support .
Unlike the 2014-2016 Ebola outbreak , which focused on three countries in West Africa , COVID-19 infections have been confirmed in 52 African nations to date , including multiple countries with ongoing conflicts and substantial populations of internally displaced persons .
The U.S. government @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to play a positive—even transformational—role by supporting African governments and other actors .
In coordination with United Nations agencies , the World Bank , the Africa CDC and the African Union , the African Development Bank and others , Washington can help vulnerable nations battle the virus and reduce future waves of infection on its own shores.For many African countries , a delayed but still exponential growth of COVID-19 cases seems very likely .
Congress should bolster the U.S. response to the global epidemic—an extension of the domestic response—through urgent , supplemental funding @ @ @ @ @ @ @ units , bolstering food security and availability of water , sanitation , and hygiene , and supportive care through telemedicine will immediately save lives .
In addition , financing is needed for the expansion of other essential elements of health security , such as laboratory strengthening , surveillance support , and personal protective equipment , which is in such short supply globally that the U.S. government has actually resorted to attempting to source supplies from countries that are recipients of U.S. aid .
Congress should also immediately increase support to U.S. global health @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the past 17 years , the U.S. President ’ s Emergency Plan For AIDS Relief ( PEPFAR ) has spent $ 75 billion in the African region .
Together with the Global Fund to Fight AIDS , Tuberculosis and Malaria , it has changed the trajectory of previously existing pandemics .
The incidence of new HIV infections has declined 28 percent in the hard-hit regions of East and Southern Africa since 2010 , with deaths declining by 44 percent there over the same period as millions of Africans gained access to antiretroviral therapy @ @ @ @ @ @ @ offer the COVID-19 response established networks of data-driven public health leaders , extensive supply chain networks , nimble nongovernmental organizations and front-line health care workers who are already pivoting to support all elements of the coronavirus response on the continent .
They are already gearing up their pooled procurement mechanisms to address inequitable distribution of critical supplies .
And their involvement , as well as other U.S.-sponsored programs in maternal and child health and family planning , are essential to protecting the substantial gains in HIV , tuberculosis , malaria eradication , vaccination @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
The U.S. government should also provide further support for research and development of medicines and vaccines that can save lives in the United States and beyond .
Investments in international partnerships such as the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations will help to meet global access needs while leveraging funding from other nations .
Additional support for organizations such as Gavi , the Vaccine Alliance can help to ensure advance-purchase commitments are in place to help shape a healthy marketplace that ensures the ability to rapidly scale up production and distribution .
The @ @ @ @ @ @ @ threat to withdraw U.S. funding—must continue to play an essential role in supporting coordinated and evidence-based public health action across African and other nations , and Congress should strongly protect its funding .
Bill and Melinda Gates have shown that private citizens can also have a transformational impact on Africa ’ s health infrastructure , and on April 16 they announced that they will more than double their foundation ’ s contribution to the WHO .
Jack Dorsey , the chief executive of Twitter and Square , pledged to donate $ 1 billion @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
And wealthy celebrities , such as Charlize Theron , Rihanna and Jay-Z have contributed to fight the impact of COVID-19 in Africa.The economic costs of shortchanging the continent would be high .
The economic costs of shortchanging the continent would be high .
At the end of 2019 , the five fastest-growing economies globally were in Africa ; now , sub-Saharan Africa ’ s gross domestic product is expected to contract by 1.6 percent this year , plunging the region into its first recession in 25 years , according to the International @ @ @ @ @ @ @ economy has already slid into recession and Nigeria and Angola are expected to follow suit .
Tourism—a sector that accounts for $ 40 billion in revenue annually—could collapse .
As many as 20 million jobs could be lost in the region , according to the African Union , and foreign investment could decline by 15 percent .
Africa ’ s cities , where nearly half of the continent ’ s population lives and where 50 percent of Sub-Saharan Africa ’ s GDP is generated , could be devastated .
The social costs of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ for years as children lose access to schooling and will live with the consequences of early childhood deprivation .
It is understandable that at such a challenging moment , some Americans may want their government to stay focused solely on the COVID-19 crisis at home .
This approach is understandable but shortsighted .
Even those traditionally skeptical of U.S. engagement abroad must recognize the cascading costs for Americans of new contagions elsewhere .
The costs for the United States and the rest of the world will be significant in new waves of migration @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , lack of natural resources , interrupted supply chains , and pressure for still greater economic support in the future .
Already , African finance ministers are requesting $ 100 billion for debt relief and economic stimulus .
Most importantly , human lives , in Africa and beyond , are at stake .
The virus is attacking all of humanity .
Humanity ’ s response will not only be a test of our sense of collective self-interest , but also of our collective soul .

Charles Holmes, Anthony Lake and Witney Schneidman

The next time you react when your six-foot perimeter is violated at a grocery store or on the sidewalk, imagine how much worse it could be. For hundreds of millions of people who live in unplanned settlements, slums, and refugee camps around the world, anything approaching social distancing is a cruel impossibility.
The next time you react when your six-foot perimeter is violated at a grocery store or on the sidewalk, imagine how much worse it could be. For hundreds of millions of people who live in unplanned settlements, slums, and refugee camps around the world, anything approaching social distancing is a cruel impossibility.
Likewise, the next time you wash your hands, think of the 3 billion or so people who cannot do so within the safety of their own homes due to lack of running water.
If you wonder whether to call your doctor about a cough or fever, recall that Africa has less than one-tenth the number of doctors per capita as the United States and an even greater shortage of essential medical technology. (Sierra Leone has only a handful of ventilators for nearly 8 million people.)
Johns Hopkins University’s global map tracking the coronavirus shows that it has barely reached sub-Saharan Africa yet, compared to most of the Northern Hemisphere. There are only 33,748 reported cases as of April 27, about 1 percent of all cases reported globally.
[Mapping the Coronavirus Outbreak: Get daily updates on the pandemic.]
But any serious global strategy to deal with this pandemic must look at the horizon, where a brewing African catastrophe is taking shape.
If COVID-19 spreads across Africa, it would not only be a human catastrophe for the continent, but one that threatens the Northern Hemisphere with future outbreaks and further human and economic losses. What is true in the United States, where people in poor and minority neighborhoods are dying in disproportionate numbers, is true for the world as a whole: No one will be safe so long as anyone is at risk.
If COVID-19 spreads across Africa, it would not only be a human catastrophe for the continent, but one that threatens the Northern Hemisphere.
If the United States, Europe, and others succeed in containing the virus in the coming months, there is no way contagion throughout Africa could be contained there. A second wave rising in Africa would almost surely crash on U.S. shores. In this way, the coronavirus pandemic has laid bare the world’s interdependence; the future safety of every U.S. community therefore depends on the success of every community in Africa and elsewhere.
While giving priority to the fight here at home is essential, the time to help Africa fight the virus is now.
It’s true that Africa’s population is younger than most, with a median age of only 19.7 years, and potentially less vulnerable. It’s also true that African urban areas are generally farther apart and Africans travel from area to area less frequently than in many of the world’s most industrialized countries. And some countries, such as Nigeria, Liberia, Uganda, and others that have dealt with Ebola, have built on their hard-won achievements and put into place structures from dealing with previous contagions.
But throughout the continent there are crowded slums; challenged health systems; scarce medical resources; immune systems weakened by malnutrition, HIV, malaria, tuberculosis, and other diseases; and growing but vulnerable economies. These factors make the outlook grim.
That is why the World Health Organization (WHO) and leading advocates are calling for immediate attention to Africa.
As Americans have learned to their growing sorrow, a delayed start in responding fully to the pandemic means far more unnecessary deaths and greater economic loss than is necessary.
African leaders on the other hand have generally taken swift initial public health actions to combat COVID-19.
South Africa, for example, imposed a nationwide state of disaster on March 15, at a time when there were only 61 reported cases and no deaths. This bought time for training, preparing, and protecting more health care workers; scaling up testing facilities; opening pop-up clinics and employing contact tracing and isolation in high density areas. South Africa’s curve has flattened for now, and the country has far fewer cases (4,793) than initially predicted.Because so many are living on the edge of poverty, lockdowns are becoming extremely challenging to maintain.
Some nations with strong community health programs and outreach workers, such as Rwanda and Ethiopia, are providing information and support through trusted community leaders to help deploy vast networks of contact tracing and community response. Their leadership in investing in community health worker programs provides a lesson for the United States, United Kingdom, and other high-income nations that are only now scrambling to develop a workforce capable of widespread contact tracing and community support before reopening the economy.
The government of Malawi is using predictive models previously developed for identifying hot spots for food insecurity and malaria risk to target assistance on areas likely to be hit the hardest by COVID-19 (due to age, co-morbidities, population movements, and flu-like illnesses).
In such countries, fast-moving efforts may help them stay ahead of the virus long enough to put into place high-volume testing, contact tracing, and isolation, as well as temporary intensive care facilities with respiratory support. But because so many are living on the edge of poverty, lockdowns are becoming extremely challenging to maintain—as farmers are unable to transport their food, markets are closed, and those reliant on daily income from the informal labor market lose their means of sustenance, people run out of critical medicines, and pregnant women struggle to find timely transport before giving birth. And the absence in many areas of indoor running water and toilets makes it difficult or impossible to obey “wash your hands” public service announcements.
For many African countries, a delayed but still exponential growth of COVID-19 cases seems very likely. The Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) has called COVID-19 an “existential threat,” and reported a 43 percent increase in new cases over one week in April. The WHO is warning that the continent could see 10 million cases. Despite their best efforts to prepare, health systems could quickly be overrun by a lack of health care workers, an inability to maintain lockdown, and a supply of personal protective equipment, test kits, and ventilators choked off by global competition.
This deadly mix must be addressed and ameliorated through massive, urgent global support. Unlike the 2014-2016 Ebola outbreak, which focused on three countries in West Africa, COVID-19 infections have been confirmed in 52 African nations to date, including multiple countries with ongoing conflicts and substantial populations of internally displaced persons.
The U.S. government and other wealthy nations have an opportunity to play a positive—even transformational—role by supporting African governments and other actors. In coordination with United Nations agencies, the World Bank, the Africa CDC and the African Union, the African Development Bank and others, Washington can help vulnerable nations battle the virus and reduce future waves of infection on its own shores.For many African countries, a delayed but still exponential growth of COVID-19 cases seems very likely.
Congress should bolster the U.S. response to the global epidemic—an extension of the domestic response—through urgent, supplemental funding. Meeting needs such as prefabricated intensive-care units, bolstering food security and availability of water, sanitation, and hygiene, and supportive care through telemedicine will immediately save lives. In addition, financing is needed for the expansion of other essential elements of health security, such as laboratory strengthening, surveillance support, and personal protective equipment, which is in such short supply globally that the U.S. government has actually resorted to attempting to source supplies from countries that are recipients of U.S. aid.
Congress should also immediately increase support to U.S. global health programs already on the ground. Over the past 17 years, the U.S. President’s Emergency Plan For AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) has spent $75 billion in the African region. Together with the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria, it has changed the trajectory of previously existing pandemics. The incidence of new HIV infections has declined 28 percent in the hard-hit regions of East and Southern Africa since 2010, with deaths declining by 44 percent there over the same period as millions of Africans gained access to antiretroviral therapy in Africa.
These successful health platforms offer the COVID-19 response established networks of data-driven public health leaders, extensive supply chain networks, nimble nongovernmental organizations and front-line health care workers who are already pivoting to support all elements of the coronavirus response on the continent. They are already gearing up their pooled procurement mechanisms to address inequitable distribution of critical supplies. And their involvement, as well as other U.S.-sponsored programs in maternal and child health and family planning, are essential to protecting the substantial gains in HIV, tuberculosis, malaria eradication, vaccination and family planning coverage during the pandemic.
The U.S. government should also provide further support for research and development of medicines and vaccines that can save lives in the United States and beyond. Investments in international partnerships such as the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations will help to meet global access needs while leveraging funding from other nations. Additional support for organizations such as Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance can help to ensure advance-purchase commitments are in place to help shape a healthy marketplace that ensures the ability to rapidly scale up production and distribution.
The WHO—despite U.S. President Donald Trump’s threat to withdraw U.S. funding—must continue to play an essential role in supporting coordinated and evidence-based public health action across African and other nations, and Congress should strongly protect its funding.
Bill and Melinda Gates have shown that private citizens can also have a transformational impact on Africa’s health infrastructure, and on April 16 they announced that they will more than double their foundation’s contribution to the WHO. Jack Dorsey, the chief executive of Twitter and Square, pledged to donate $1 billion to relief programs related to the virus. And wealthy celebrities, such as Charlize Theron, Rihanna and Jay-Z have contributed to fight the impact of COVID-19 in Africa.The economic costs of shortchanging the continent would be high.
The economic costs of shortchanging the continent would be high. At the end of 2019, the five fastest-growing economies globally were in Africa; now, sub-Saharan Africa’s gross domestic product is expected to contract by 1.6 percent this year, plunging the region into its first recession in 25 years, according to the International Monetary Fund. South Africa’s economy has already slid into recession and Nigeria and Angola are expected to follow suit. Tourism—a sector that accounts for $40 billion in revenue annually—could collapse. As many as 20 million jobs could be lost in the region, according to the African Union, and foreign investment could decline by 15 percent.
Africa’s cities, where nearly half of the continent’s population lives and where 50 percent of Sub-Saharan Africa’s GDP is generated, could be devastated. The social costs of increasing poverty in Africa will be felt for years as children lose access to schooling and will live with the consequences of early childhood deprivation.
It is understandable that at such a challenging moment, some Americans may want their government to stay focused solely on the COVID-19 crisis at home. This approach is understandable but shortsighted. Even those traditionally skeptical of U.S. engagement abroad must recognize the cascading costs for Americans of new contagions elsewhere. The costs for the United States and the rest of the world will be significant in new waves of migration, lost investments and crippled trading partners, lack of natural resources, interrupted supply chains, and pressure for still greater economic support in the future. Already, African finance ministers are requesting $100 billion for debt relief and economic stimulus.
Most importantly, human lives, in Africa and beyond, are at stake. The virus is attacking all of humanity. Humanity’s response will not only be a test of our sense of collective self-interest, but also of our collective soul.


foreignpolicy--2020-04-29--Navy Delays Reinstating Captain of Infected Carrier

The U.S. Navy has expanded an investigation into the coronavirus outbreak aboard the USS Theodore Roosevelt aircraft carrier , delaying the restoration of command to Capt .
Brett Crozier , who pushed for the service to more aggressively combat the outbreak on the nuclear-powered ship .
In a statement on Wednesday , acting Secretary of the Navy James McPherson said he had directed the service ’ s top officer , Adm. Mike Gilday , to conduct a deeper investigation after both men briefed Defense Secretary Mark Esper on their findings on Friday , recommending that the Pentagon chief reinstate Crozier @ @ @ @ @ @ @ have unanswered questions that the preliminary inquiry has identified and that can only be answered by a deeper review , ” McPherson said .
“ Therefore , I am directing Adm. Gilday to conduct a follow-on command investigation .
This investigation will build on the good work of the initial inquiry to provide a more fulsome understanding of the sequence of events , actions , and decisions of the chain of command surrounding the COVID-19 outbreak aboard USS Theodore Roosevelt.
” Crozier became a symbol of the Navy ’ s—and the U.S. military @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of the coronavirus in the close-quartered world of military operations .
The captain sent a dire missive to Navy leaders warning about the rapid spread of the virus aboard the ship that leaked to the San Francisco Chronicle , prompting his ouster at the hands of then-acting Navy Secretary Thomas Modly .
Modly subsequently resigned after traveling to Guam and delivering a broadside against Crozier over the Roosevelt ’ s public address system , and the Navy , led by Gilday , lobbied for the popular commander ’ s reinstatement after wrapping up @ @ @ @ @ @ @ investigation into what happened on the Roosevelt could well set a precedent for future command decisions about the pandemic .
But after Friday ’ s briefing , Esper insisted he needed more time to review the findings .
Politico reported on Saturday that Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Mark Milley was pushing for a wider inquiry into outbreak on the Roosevelt , which would delay Crozier ’ s reinstatement despite the Navy ’ s recommendations .
“ The Navy ’ s inquiry covered a complex timeline of communications between Naval officers @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a dozen time zones and multiple commands .
All this information was briefed verbally today in a meeting scheduled for one hour , ” a senior defense official told Foreign Policy at the time .
“ The Secretary wants to ensure that the report is thorough and can stand up under the rightful scrutiny of Congress , the media , the families and crew of the Theodore Roosevelt , and the American people .
To ensure that , he wants to actually read the report.
” It is not clear how long the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ officials have indicated it will leave more time for the defense secretary to make a politically sensitive decision surrounding Crozier .
But members of Congress briefed on the report said that so far the Defense Department had not been pressured by the White House on the next moves in the case .
President Donald Trump said at a White House briefing earlier this month that he supported the decision to fire Crozier but did not comment on the Navy ’ s initial recommendation to reinstate him , which could be overturned by the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ last week that Esper would be “ generally inclined ” to support the Navy ’ s findings , a move to go ahead with Gilday ’ s recommendation could also represent an about-face for Esper .
The defense secretary had previously signed off on Modly ’ s decision to fire Crozier and publicly defended the move , telling CNN it was an “ example of how we hold leaders accountable.
” But while Democratic lawmakers agreed that it was legitimate to extend the investigation into the Roosevelt outbreak and the decisions of senior @ @ @ @ @ @ @ spread of the coronavirus aboard the destroyer USS Kidd , which pulled into port in San Diego on Tuesday , they remained displeased with the decision not to reinstate Crozier , the skipper of the Roosevelt was fired by Modly after a warning letter about the situation on the ship leaked to the San Francisco Chronicle .
“ I believe that question should have been clearly answered to this point .
I believe it should be answered in the affirmative .
There was no reason to relieve him of his command , ” @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Smith , a Democrat , after speaking to McPherson , the acting navy secretary , on Wednesday .
Smith said he ’ s worried that the Pentagon could fall into a “ willingness to kiss the president ’ s ass as much as possible.
” House Democrats have called for a hearing on the matter as Congress prepares to return to session next week .
The Navy says it has now tested all of the Roosevelt ’ s crew for the coronavirus , with 940 positive cases as of Monday , after aerial @ @ @ @ @ @ @ during a March port visit to Da Nang , Vietnam .
The Pentagon has now canceled port visits for aircraft carriers for the time being .

The U.S. Navy has expanded an investigation into the coronavirus outbreak aboard the USS Theodore Roosevelt aircraft carrier, delaying the restoration of command to Capt. Brett Crozier, who pushed for the service to more aggressively combat the outbreak on the nuclear-powered ship.
The U.S. Navy has expanded an investigation into the coronavirus outbreak aboard the USS Theodore Roosevelt aircraft carrier, delaying the restoration of command to Capt. Brett Crozier, who pushed for the service to more aggressively combat the outbreak on the nuclear-powered ship.
In a statement on Wednesday, acting Secretary of the Navy James McPherson said he had directed the service’s top officer, Adm. Mike Gilday, to conduct a deeper investigation after both men briefed Defense Secretary Mark Esper on their findings on Friday, recommending that the Pentagon chief reinstate Crozier.
“Following our discussion, I have unanswered questions that the preliminary inquiry has identified and that can only be answered by a deeper review,” McPherson said. “Therefore, I am directing Adm. Gilday to conduct a follow-on command investigation. This investigation will build on the good work of the initial inquiry to provide a more fulsome understanding of the sequence of events, actions, and decisions of the chain of command surrounding the COVID-19 outbreak aboard USS Theodore Roosevelt.”
Crozier became a symbol of the Navy’s—and the U.S. military’s—struggle to deal with the spread of the coronavirus in the close-quartered world of military operations. The captain sent a dire missive to Navy leaders warning about the rapid spread of the virus aboard the ship that leaked to the San Francisco Chronicle, prompting his ouster at the hands of then-acting Navy Secretary Thomas Modly.
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Modly subsequently resigned after traveling to Guam and delivering a broadside against Crozier over the Roosevelt’s public address system, and the Navy, led by Gilday, lobbied for the popular commander’s reinstatement after wrapping up a preliminary investigation last week. The investigation into what happened on the Roosevelt could well set a precedent for future command decisions about the pandemic.
But after Friday’s briefing, Esper insisted he needed more time to review the findings. Politico reported on Saturday that Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Mark Milley was pushing for a wider inquiry into outbreak on the Roosevelt, which would delay Crozier’s reinstatement despite the Navy’s recommendations.
“The Navy’s inquiry covered a complex timeline of communications between Naval officers, as well as response efforts spanning a dozen time zones and multiple commands. All this information was briefed verbally today in a meeting scheduled for one hour,” a senior defense official told Foreign Policy at the time. “The Secretary wants to ensure that the report is thorough and can stand up under the rightful scrutiny of Congress, the media, the families and crew of the Theodore Roosevelt, and the American people. To ensure that, he wants to actually read the report.”
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It is not clear how long the new investigation will take, though defense officials have indicated it will leave more time for the defense secretary to make a politically sensitive decision surrounding Crozier. But members of Congress briefed on the report said that so far the Defense Department had not been pressured by the White House on the next moves in the case.
President Donald Trump said at a White House briefing earlier this month that he supported the decision to fire Crozier but did not comment on the Navy’s initial recommendation to reinstate him, which could be overturned by the new probe.
Though defense officials said last week that Esper would be “generally inclined” to support the Navy’s findings, a move to go ahead with Gilday’s recommendation could also represent an about-face for Esper. The defense secretary had previously signed off on Modly’s decision to fire Crozier and publicly defended the move, telling CNN it was an “example of how we hold leaders accountable.”
But while Democratic lawmakers agreed that it was legitimate to extend the investigation into the Roosevelt outbreak and the decisions of senior leaders as the Navy deals with the spread of the coronavirus aboard the destroyer USS Kidd, which pulled into port in San Diego on Tuesday, they remained displeased with the decision not to reinstate Crozier, the skipper of the Roosevelt was fired by Modly after a warning letter about the situation on the ship leaked to the San Francisco Chronicle.
“I believe that question should have been clearly answered to this point. I believe it should be answered in the affirmative. There was no reason to relieve him of his command,” said House Armed Services Committee Chairman Adam Smith, a Democrat, after speaking to McPherson, the acting navy secretary, on Wednesday.
Smith said he’s worried that the Pentagon could fall into a “willingness to kiss the president’s ass as much as possible.” House Democrats have called for a hearing on the matter as Congress prepares to return to session next week.
The Navy says it has now tested all of the Roosevelt’s crew for the coronavirus, with 940 positive cases as of Monday, after aerial resupply crews likely brought the virus onboard during a March port visit to Da Nang, Vietnam. The Pentagon has now canceled port visits for aircraft carriers for the time being.