Has WHO Handled The COVID-19 Correctly? India Joins 61 Other Countries For A Probe

As early as Mid-March, people had started to question the World Health Organisation’s response to coronavirus. WHO, the specialized agency of the United Nations, is deemed to be accountable for international public health.

But once it started changing its narrative around the coronavirus pandemic every other week, intellectuals around the globe questioned the agency’s credibility.

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Now, 62 countries, including have called for an independent inquiry into the WHO’s response to the COVID-19 crisis.

The 73rd World Health Assembly (WHA) was started on May 18, 2020, where Australia and the European Union proposed a draft resolution to probe into WHO’s work.

What Is World Health Assembly?

Just like every major organization, WHO also has a decision-making body. It is called the World Health Assembly. Every year, delegates from WHO member states meet and discuss the year’s health list prepared by the Executive Board. This year the focus is on the COVID-19 pandemic.

Usually, WHA decides the policies of WHO, nominates the Director-General and checks into the financial ongoing of the agency. Since its inception, Geneva, Switzerland, is the venue of the meeting. This year, the conference is held on May 18-19.

What Is The Probe About?

The draft signed by the nations says, “Initiate, at the earliest appropriate moment, and in consultation with the Member States a stepwise process of impartial, independent and comprehensive evaluation, including using existing Mechanisms, as appropriate, to review experience gained and lessons learned from the WHO-coordinated international health response to COVID-19.”

Australia and the European Union has been seeking support for their probe-draft from different nations for some time. Interestingly, it was also Australia who called for an independent inquiry into how the COVID-19 was started, the last month.

Talking to the media, Australian Foreign Minister Marise Payne said that if we allow WHO to investigate into the cause of pandemic, the agency will act as both – the poacher and the gamekeeper. “This is about collaborating to equip the international community to better prevent or counter the next pandemic and keep our citizens safe,” he said.

The forwarded draft, however, doesn’t mention the name of China even a single time. The general public and some leaders (including USA President Donald Trump) are pointing fingers towards China when it comes to the question of COVID-19 origin.

Apart from India, powerful nations like Japan, the United Kingdom, New Zealand, South Korea, Brazil, and Canada have also signed on the draft.

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