WHO virtual assembly starts
US-China tensions loom over talks on coronavirus action
The World Health Organisation (WHO) kicked off its first ever virtual assembly, but there were fears that US-China tensions could derail the strong action needed to address the coronavirus pandemic.
The World Health Assembly, which has been trimmed from the usual three weeks to just two days, yesterday and today, is expected to focus almost solely on Covid-19.
United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres opened the event yesterday, lamenting that a number of countries had ignored the recommendations of the WHO.
“Different countries have followed different, sometimes contradictory, strategies and we are all paying a heavy price,” he warned in a video address.
WHO director Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus was also due to address the virtual assembly, as were a number of heads of state, including Xi Jinping of China, government chiefs and health ministers.
Tedros said on Friday that the event would be “one of the most important (World Health Assemblies) since we were founded in 1948”.
But the chance of reaching agreement on global measures to address the crisis could be threatened by steadily deteriorating relations between the world’s two largest economies over the pandemic.
US President Donald Trump last week threatened to cut ties with China, where the outbreak first emerged late last year, and has repeatedly made unproven allegations that the virus originated in a Chinese lab.
He has also suspended funding to the WHO over accusations that it initially downplayed the seriousness of the outbreak.
Despite the tensions, countries hope to adopt a resolution by consensus urging a joint response to the pandemic.
The resolution, tabled by the European Union, calls for an “impartial, independent and comprehensive evaluation” of the international response to the coronavirus crisis.
Consultations around the text concluded last week after “tough” negotiations, according to Nora Kronig, who heads the international affairs division of Switzerland’s public health office.
After several days, a tentative agreement was reached to approve the resolution, which also calls for more equitable access for tests, medical equipment, potential treatments and a possible future vaccine.
The resolution also calls for the WHO to work closely with other international agencies and countries to identify the animal source of the virus and figure out how it first jumped to humans.