World Health Organization (WHO) Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus speaks at a press conference in Geneva, Switzerland, on March 11, 2020. (CHEN JUNXIA/XINHUA)

GENEVA - The World Health Organization (WHO) chief on Wednesday called on the United States to reconsider its decision to freeze funding to the organization, and hoped that the US will once again support WHO's work and continue to save lives.

I hope the US believes that this is an important investment not just to help others, but for the US to stay safe also

Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, WHO chief

"The US has been supporting WHO and it's number one donor (of WHO). We value that, we appreciate that," said WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus at a briefing.

Having appreciated the US funding for helping build the national health system in Ethiopia where he used to be the minister of health, Tedros said he has also been a live witness as the WHO chief of the US support to his organization.

"I hope the US believes that this is an important investment not just to help others, but for the US to stay safe also," he said.

READ MORE: WHO: Nothing hidden from US, CDC experts on board

"So I hope the freezing of the funding will be reconsidered and the US will once again support WHO's work and continue to save lives."

The US announced last week a decision to halt its funding to the WHO, at a time when the specialized UN agency for international public health is coordinating a global response to the COVID-19 pandemic. 

"At the right time"

The World Health Organization had declared COVID-19 a global emergency, the highest level of alert, at the right time, Tedros defended the oranganization over the timing it declared emergency.

"Looking back, I think we declared an emergency, at the right time... when the rest of the world had enough time to respond," Tedros told a virtual press briefing.

"This is more than two months and 21 days ago, close to three months from now," when "there were only 82 cases and no death" outside China, he recalled

On Jan 30, the WHO chief declared the outbreak a Public Health Emergency of International Concern (PHEIC), sending the highest level of alarm to the world.

"This is more than two months and 21 days ago, close to three months from now," when "there were only 82 cases and no death" outside China, he recalled.

At that time, what was reported from Europe is ten cases -- five from France, one from Finland, and four from Germany, while no case had been reported yet in Africa, he added, suggesting it was possible to cut transmission chains.

"It is not just one director general who just comes out and declares a global emergency," Tedros explained. "We have experts, representing all over the world, coming together and discussing."

ALSO READ: WHO: COVID-19 is not lab manipulated or constructed

The PHEIC declaration came after a closed-door meeting of the Emergency Committee on the same day, when health experts from around the world were convinced and reached the consensus that the criteria of global emergency were met.

"And that consensus led to a declaration of global emergency from the WHO, which I announced it myself," Tedros concluded.

His remarks came after the United States announced last week a decision to halt the its funding to the WHO, which President Donald Trump accused of "severely mismanaging and covering up the spread of the coronavirus."