Indonesia's Health Minister Budi Gunadi Sadikin, one of seven candidates to lead the World Health Organization, says member states should pay higher mandatory contributions to make up for the loss of US funding, CNA reports, citing an AFP interview.
Mr Budi said the agency should first review its functions and focus on fewer, better-funded projects before looking for new money. Compulsory payments currently cover only around 20 to 30% of the WHO's budget, with the rest coming from voluntary donations, and he argued that raising that share to at least half would be needed for the organisation to be sustainable. He said the extra cost would amount to tens of thousands of US dollars per country.
He described the US withdrawal in January as not a total disaster, but said he would seek talks with Washington immediately if elected.
Source: CNA