BRUSSELS, May 30 (Xinhua) -- Belgian Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance and Development Cooperation Alexander De Croo, Minister of Foreign Affairs and of Defense Philippe Goffin and Minister of Social Affairs and Health Maggie De Block reaffirmed on Saturday their support for the World Health Organization (WHO).

"The WHO plays a crucial role in coordinating the international response to this pandemic. The organization tries to prevent the further spread of the virus by, among other things, distributing medical material, deploying rapid response teams and advising and informing the general public," they said in a joint press release.

"Belgium supports the already ongoing WHO efforts to further improve their functioning. Together with our EU partners, our country will consider how it can further support these efforts in the future and make the organization even more effective in view of a possible new crisis," they said.

"The COVID-19 pandemic has once again shown that a virus outbreak can affect anyone. Global health is therefore a shared responsibility in which each member state must play its role. A successful response to a global pandemic depends on interconnected global systems and networks of scientific expertise, medical supply, free trade, innovation and production," they concluded.

U.S. President Donald Trump said on Friday that his country is "terminating" its relationship with the WHO and redirecting the funds elsewhere. Enditem

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