WHO worker aims to raise $1bn to cover US pullout

GENEVA: When the World Health Organization’s top donor the United States announced its withdrawal, one employee launched an online fundraiser to plug the gap -- and her efforts have already raised more than $100,000.

Tania Cernuschi, 46, told AFP she had the brainwave just after US President Donald Trump signed an executive order announcing Washington would leave the WHO, one of his first actions on returning to office on January 20.

The WHO’s financial shortfall is set to grow further after Argentina announced Wednesday it was also quitting the UN health agency.

Cernuschi is aiming to raise $1 billion to make up for US contributions, which amounted to $1.3 billion — or 16 percent of the WHO´s budget -- for the years 2022-2023. “I was disturbed by the news,” said Cernuschi, an Italian development economist who has been at the WHO for 10 years. “I woke up in the morning and thought of the campaign, and asked whether I could go ahead. And nobody stopped me.” She launched her “One Dollar, One World” fundraising page on the website of the WHO Foundation -- the arm of the UN agency that matches private finance with high-impact health projects.