WHO hosts million pound anti-tobacco conference in Moscow despite being low on Ebola fund

The World Health Organisation (WHO) recently hosted an extravagant one million pound conference in Moscow to discuss tobacco control policies, even as it complained about being low on funds to tackle the deadly Ebola in West Africa.

According to Daily Express, delegates from 175 countries attended the conference in Moscow as part of the Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC). The body, funded by the WHO, met to discuss tobacco control policies and the role of e-cigarettes.

The global health watchdog that has been facing criticism for its handling of the Ebola crisis reportedly wasted 40,000 pounds just to provide Wi-Fi to journalists, who were banned from the event at the last minute.

Some five luxury hotels were assigned to delegates attending the conference.

The event was boycotted by US and Canada after it was announced that Russian President Vladimir Putin was hosting the conference.

The organisation had also arranged for two five-star hotels, including the Russian Government-owned Golden Ring Hotel, self-proclaimed as "one of the most luxurious" in Moscow and the city's Crowne Plaza which charges 1,169 pounds-a-day for a suite, the report said.

The report also revealed that delegates were served Salmon carpaccio with cucumber tartar, Salmon as the main course, Vitello Tonnato beef with tuna fish sauce, Red caviar, Scallop with white wine sauce, a fish late of smoked halibut, smoked sturgeon, eel mix; Smoked eel, and Salmon under white syrup with flying fish caviar at the gala feast that was held last Monday.

The guests at the event were also offered official excursions, including a visit to the Kremlin's armory chamber.

Laurie Garrett, a leading Ebola expert with the Washington DC-based Council on Foreign Relations last year said that WHO had to plead for the 60million pounds required to launch a plan to contain the outbreak of Ebola in Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone due to lack of funds.