Exclusive: EU suspends funding to WHO programmes in Congo after sex scandal

FILE PHOTO: A logo is pictured at the World Health Organization (WHO) building in Geneva, Switzerland, February 2, 2020. REUTERS/Denis Balibouse/File Photo

GENEVA (Reuters) - The European Commission has suspended funding to the World Health Organization's programmes in the Democratic Republic of Congo due to concerns over the U.N. agency's handling of the sexual abuse scandal.

An Oct. 7 letter from the Commission marked "SENSITIVE", seen by Reuters, informed the WHO of the immediate suspension of financing for five WHO programmes, including its Ebola and COVID-19 operations.