The White House has reported the results of a recent online conference of the G7 countries, saying that the other members – the UK, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, and Japan – have called for conducting a "thorough review and reform" of the WHO in light of its response to the pandemic. The statement further said that most of the G7 leaders condemned the World Health Organisation (WHO) for its "lack of transparency and chronic mismanagement of the pandemic".
"The leaders recognized that the G7 nations annually contribute more than a billion dollars to the World Health Organization (WHO), and much of the conversation centered on the lack of transparency and chronic mismanagement of the pandemic by the WHO", the statement said.
The statement comes days after President Donald Trump decided to cut his country's funding of the global health body, with the US having contributed almost 15% to its budget annually. POTUS lambasted the WHO for its actions that failed to stop the disease from spreading across the world and for allegedly aiding China in its purported attempts to falsify data on the coronavirus. The move was condemned as poorly timed by numerous nations, including some of the G7 states - France and Germany.
On Reopening Economies
The White House statement mentioned that the G7 nations agreed to collaborate on reopening their economies following the massive lockdowns imposed due to the pandemic.
"G7 leaders tasked their ministers to work together to prepare all G7 economies to re-open safely and on a foundation that will allow the G7 nations to reestablish economic growth with more resilient health systems and trusted supply chains", the White House statement said.
The statement also said that G7 member states promised to remain committed to ensuring "a strong and coordinated global response to this health crisis and the associated humanitarian and economic calamity".
Previously, US President Donald Trump stated that Washington will be lifting the lockdowns in some states sooner than others, with national guidelines on reopening the economy expected to become public later today. The Washington Post reported earlier, citing leaked documents, that the government plans to reopen schools, churches, and summer camps in some states by 1 May.