The World Health Organization’s chief hit back on Monday at President Donald Trump’s reasons for pulling the United States out of the WHO, urged Washington to reconsider.

WHO director-general Tedros Ghebreyesus said Trump’s assertion in his executive order was that WHO had failed to adopt urgently needed reforms.

Addressing Trump’s claim that the WHO demands unfairly onerous payments from the US, Tedros stressed that the organisation had been working to broaden its donor base.

The WHO chief also said shifting the balance away from the voluntary contributions, which make up the vast majority of the WHO’s income, towards regular membership fees would address the “over-reliance” on major donors.

Addressing Trump’s claim that the WHO “demands unfairly onerous payments from the US”, Tedros stressed that the organisation had been working to broaden its donor base.

The WHO chief said shifting the balance away from the voluntary contributions, which make up the vast majority of the WHO’s income, towards regular membership fees would address the “over-reliance” on major donors.

In response to the executive order’s charge of the WHO “mishandling of the Covid-19 pandemic”, Tedros highlighted the swift action taken by the organisation from the very first signals of a “viral pneumonia” spreading in China to alert the world, publish guidance and protect populations.

“Of course there would be challenges and weaknesses” along the way, he said.