About WHO    

• The World Health Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) established in 1948 to further international cooperation for improved public health conditions.
• It is headquartered in Geneva, Switzerland.
• Working with 194 Member States (including India), its stated goal is to ensure “the highest attainable level of health for all people”.

WHO funding 

• It is funded by a large number of countries, philanthropic organisations, United Nations organisations etc.
• Voluntary donations from member states contribute 35.41%, assessed contributions (dues countries pay in order to be a member of WHO) are 15.66%, philanthropic organisations account for 9.33%, UN organisations contribute about 8.1%; the rest comes from myriad sources.
• Countries decide how much they pay and may also choose not to.
• The US contributes almost 15% of the WHO’s total funding and almost 31% of the member states’ donations. India contributes 1% of member states’ donations.

Why in News?

• United States President Donald Trump announced that his country would terminate its relationship with the World Health Organization, after weeks of accusing the agency of helping the Chinese government cover up the early days of the coronavirus pandemic.
• He accused the WHO of refusing to act on the reforms requested by the United States.
• The US is the largest source of financial support for the WHO, and its exit is expected to significantly weaken the organisation.

References:

https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2020/04/trump-threatens-deny-funding-world-health-organization-200408012719572.html

https://www.who.int/about