WHO said it is setting up an independent panel to review its management of Covid
Geneva:
The World Health Organization (WHO) said Thursday that it is setting up an independent panel to review its management of the COVID-19 pandemic and the response of governments.
The announcement follows strong criticism from the government of US President Donald Trump, who accused the WHO of being “China-centric,” and official notification on Tuesday that it was withdrawing from the United Nations agency in a year.
Former New Zealand Prime Minister Helen Clark and former Liberian President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf have agreed to lead the group and have chosen its members, WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said at a meeting online with representatives from 194 WHO member states, which has been webcast.
“It is not a standard report that ticks a box and is then put on a shelf to collect the dust. This is something we take seriously,” said Tedros, adding that the group of experts would provide a interim report to an annual meeting of health ministers under preparation. resumed in November.
Clark, speaking at the meeting, said the mission “could only be described as an exceptional challenge”.
Tedros noted that in May, WHO member states unanimously adopted a European Union resolution calling for an assessment of the global response to the pandemic.
According to a Reuters report, more than 12 million people have been infected with the new coronavirus worldwide and 548,429 have died.
(Reporting by Stephanie Nebehay, John Miller and Brenna Hughes-Neghaiwi; Editing by Michael Shields)
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