The Social Issue at the End of the Pandemic and the World Health Organization.

The World Health Organization (WHO) deals with health related measures and problems worldwide, such as: monitoring of antibiotic resistant pathogens, women's health in developing countries, vaccination campaigns (with the eradication of polio as one of its success stories), crisis response to disease outbreaks, and the fight against pandemics.

With the suspension of financial support from the United States to WHO, according to the International Information Agencies, the organization would stop receiving about 10% of the total funds. The membership fee of the participating countries is delivered on january 1 of each year, so the fees have already been addressed for this year and some voluntary contributions from the private sector of the participating nations are pending.

WHO is financed by mandatory contributions from member countries, which are calculated based on the economic performance of each; voluntary contributions from States; and donations from the private sector or non-governmental organizations.

Only about 20 percent of the budget comes from membership fees. The organization's total budget for 2.020 is around US4.400 million and the remaining 80 percent comes from voluntary contributions. One of the largest private donors is the Bill Gates Foundation, with eight percent.

The United States provides a mandatory contribution of about US235 million, along with other state contributions of US200 million, which represents approximately 10% of the organization's budget. It is followed by Great Britain, the European Union where Germany's participation stands out. Meanwhile, another economic power, China, contributes only US86 million in mandatory contributions and a sum of US10 million in voluntary contributions.

But international experts and analysts believe that an emergency aid campaign from private and state donors could temporarily fill the US vacuum, to continue activities in the coronavirus crisis. The WHO asked its member countries in march for US675 million to help fight the pandemic and is expected to ask for at least US1.000 million now.

NGOs around the world are ready to collaborate with populations affected by conflict and trapped in states of fragility and prolonged crisis, such as Yemen, Syria and the Democratic Republic of the Congo, which will be especially vulnerable to the repercussions of the pandemic such as the economic effects and obvious health risks, but also the risks for social order and cohesion.

In these cases, global collaboration between governments, international organizations and companies is required, which is central to the World Economic Forum, in its work as an international organization for public-private cooperation. This involves collaboration with WHO, through the creation of a Platform for Action against COVID. The purpose of this platform is to catalyze private sector support for the global public health response to COVID-19, and to do so with the magnitude and speed necessary to protect the lives of citizens and their livelihoods, in order to find ways to contribute to ending this global emergency as soon as possible.

Efforts to stop the pandemic have closed large sectors of the world economy and emerging markets and developing countries will be affected.

For the first time since the Great Depression (the 1930s), both advanced and emerging and developing market economies are in recession. The last one, that of 2.008 that began with the bankruptcy of Lehman Brothers, affected Europe and the United States and Canada.

In the current one, Latin America, as mentioned by international and national experts, in addition to being affected by the virus that came from Europe mainly, economically there are several factors such as the following. The main trading partners in the region are China and the United States, and because these economies are in crisis due to the pandemic and the economic recession, Latin America that is in recession will also receive the negative impact.

The economic deterioration in the United States affects the entire region, but especially Mexico and Central America through trade, but also with remittances. And what happens in China also affects immediately, because it is the most important partner of many countries of Latin America and one of the main buyers of raw materials.

The drop in the price of raw materials is also affecting the fiscal coffers of many countries in the region. The drop in oil prices stand out, but the drop in the prices of copper and iron minerals is equal and the decrease in the price of food such as soybeans, corn, meats and cereals are added.

In international trade, with the crisis caused by the pandemic, the countries most affected by the interruption of value chains are Mexico and Brazil, whose manufacturing sectors are the largest in the region. For example, the automotive sector in both countries.

The lower demand for tourism services is reducing the income of countries where this activity is very relevant. This is the case of countries like Mexico, the Dominican Republic or Cuba. The major airlines in the world and in the region have been forced to land a large part of their aircraft fleet.

As is often the case in times of crisis, capital flight occurs because investors do not want to take risks. And that is precisely what has been happening in the region. Capitals are coming out to seek refuge in US sovereign treasury bonds.

The outflow of dollars has pushed the devaluation of currencies that are also affected by the aforementioned drop in commodity prices. It also affects public debt in dollars of Latin American countries.

Once the recession is over, throughout the world and particularly in Latin America, new development models will be rethought where the role of the public and private sector will have to be greater in the social security sectors and in inequality of income and wealth.

Social protests, present in some countries, are unlikely to be massive amid strict quarantines, but riots as mentioned by International Organizations and experts, could increase when the crisis is more controlled.

It is advised that in order to avoid a wave of protests, such as those that occurred in Latin America last year (or those of France and Lebanon) that policy makers should socialize with affected communities to generate support for measures to combat the virus. It is crucial to provide financial support to the most vulnerable households and business during the crisis.

The WHO also recommends that countries that ease restrictions imposed to combat the spread of coronavirus should wait at least two weeks to assess the impact of such changes before applying further relaxations.

To reduce the risk of new outbreaks, measures should be phased out gradually, based on an assessment of the epidemiological risks and socio-economic benefits of lifting restrictions in different workplaces, educational institutions and social activities. The foregoing currently applies to the countries of Europe and later to the United States.

In Latin America, countries lack time to reach the maximum of the pandemic and some contemplate easing restrictions according to different plans to alternate periods of isolation with times of selective circulation.

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Today, in terms of world markets, the stock markets grow due to several reasons, the gradual openings announced by countries in Europe and the number of requests for unemployment benefits, although high, are lower than the previous week in the United States.

The price of oil rises as a rebound from yesterday's fall and in the face of a balance between supply and demand. The WTI at US26.7 per barrel (1% daily) and the BRENT at US28.3 per barrel (0.9% daily).

In Colombia, the peso opens the day at 3.918 per dollar, a level similar to today's TRM of 3.921.