Xinhua News Agency, Geneva, March 23 (Reporter Nie Xiaoyang, Liu Qu) The United Nations Special Rapporteur on Contemporary Forms of Racism, Racial Discrimination, Xenophobia and Related Intolerance Tendai Acume said on the 23rd that officials of the relevant countries used ulterior motives The name replaces the new crown virus, which is an irresponsible and disturbing expression of xenophobia that links a particular disease to a particular country or nation.
Achume said in a media statement that the World Health Organization has made it clear that improper use of disease names can cause serious harm to specific populations. Governments should pay special attention to not transmitting xenophobic messages and promoting racial discrimination when responding to the new crown pneumonia epidemic.
She said that the words and deeds of the relevant state officials have brought actual evil results, and some people from China or other East Asian countries have begun to be discriminated against by slander, denial of service and even violent attacks.
Achume emphasized that in the face of the epidemic, policies that incite fear and discrimination will not only be effective in fighting the epidemic, but will be counterproductive. "This epidemic reminds us once again that human destiny is intertwined and that well-being is interdependent," she said.
On the same day, Michael Ryan, the head of the World Health Organization's health emergency project, said that arguing which country the new crown virus originates from is not a core issue at present, and we should work together to fight the epidemic.
Ryan said, we are fully capable of defeating the new crown virus. As WHO Director-General Tan Desai said, the current epidemic has affected almost all countries and populations on the planet, "so we must work together to fight the epidemic."