Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, WHO Number 1 -

NEW CHINA / SIPA

The change would be nice if it was now.

The coronavirus pandemic is a "wake-up call" for the international community, said the head of the WHO on Monday, calling for a faster reform of the organization so that it responds more effectively to health emergencies.

Speaking at an extraordinary session of the Executive Board of the World Health Organization (WHO) on the response to Covid-19, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus vigorously defended the work carried out by the organization, accused in particular by US President Donald Trump for incompetence in his handling of the pandemic.

Only the fifth meeting in WHO history

Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus also defended the reform carried out by the WHO over the past three years, but recognized that it had to accelerate its pace.

“We are not on the wrong track, (…) but we have to go faster.

The pandemic is a wake-up call for all of us, ”he said, masked.

This extraordinary meeting of the WHO Executive Board, which brings together representatives of 34 countries elected for a period of three years and is responsible for preparing and implementing the decisions of the members of the organization, is only the fifth of his history.

"The world needs a robust peer review system"

It was convened by the WHO to follow up on a resolution approved by member states in May, providing for an “independent assessment” of the response of the UN agency and the international community to the pandemic.

The head of the WHO stressed on Monday the need to strengthen the international surveillance of countries.

"The world needs a robust peer review system," he said, citing as an example the Universal Periodic Review established by the Human Rights Council, a review which must be carried out. submit all UN members every four or five years.

Ideas welcome

"We encourage countries to come up with new ideas," the Ethiopian continued, adding: "We must be open to change and we must implement the changes now."

The WHO declared the global alert on January 30 against the Covid-19.

The institution has since been strongly criticized, in particular by the United States, for having delayed declaring this state of emergency, while the coronavirus had been reported at the end of December in China.

Lots of criticism and little clarity

The organization has also been criticized for recommendations deemed late or contradictory, in particular on the wearing of the mask or the modes of transmission of the virus.

Others also pointed out that the WHO lacked both budgetary resources and independence from States.

The novel coronavirus pandemic has claimed more than one million lives.

About 10% of the world's population may have been infected, WHO director of health emergencies Michael Ryan told the Executive Board.

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