WHO members OK evaluation of virus response

Member states of the World Health Organisation have unanimously passed a resolution brought by European Union members, African nations and others calling for an independent comprehensive evaluation of the international response to the COVID-19 outbreak coordinated by the UN health agency.

The United States has sharply criticized the agency and its relationship with China, where the outbreak erupted.

Overnight, US President Donald Trump listed concerns and criticism about the WHO to its director-general, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.

Nations rallied around the resolution that calls on the director-general to initiate at the earliest appropriate moment an evaluation that would review experience gained and lessons learned from the WHO-coordinated international health response to COVID-19.

It was not immediately clear how, when or by whom that evaluation will be conducted.

The resolution pointed to the role of extensive immunization against COVID-19 as a global public good, and called on international organizations to work collaboratively to produce safe, effective and affordable medicines and vaccines.