Countries approve plan for US$134 million health emergency fund
BERLIN — Diplomats have approved the creation of a US$100 million fund to help the World Health Organization respond rapidly to emergencies.
A World Health Organization, WHO, worker, right rear, trains nurses to use Ebola protective gear in Freetown, Sierra Leone, Thursday, Sept 18, 2014. Ebola still has no definite cure. Photo: AP
BERLIN — Diplomats have approved the creation of a US$100 million fund to help the World Health Organization respond rapidly to emergencies.
The Geneva-based UN agency has come under criticism for reacting too slowly to crises in recent years, including the Ebola outbreak in West Africa.
Delegates from the WHO’s 194 member states, meeting in Geneva, approved the fund today (May 23) as part of an overhaul of the agency’s emergency work. The money will come from voluntary member contributions and is meant to allow WHO to fund field operations for up to three months.
It will be reviewed after two years. AP
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