(Fighting against New Coronary Pneumonia) International Review: Questioning or cooperating, how should WHO be treated in an epidemic situation?
China News Agency, Beijing, May 12 Question: Questioning or cooperating, how should the WHO be treated in an epidemic situation?
China News Agency reporter Liu Xu
The current epidemic of New Coronary Pneumonia is spreading globally, which poses a huge threat to people ’s lives and health, and also poses a huge challenge to global public health security. While countries around the world are cooperating with WHO's actions, there are Republican lawmakers in the United States calling for an "in-depth study" of WHO and WHO's handling of the epidemic to assess whether it is in the overall interest of the United States. This makes people wonder: What should be the attitude of the parties towards WHO while the anti-epidemic situation is still grim? Is it questioning its professionalism and authority, or is it under its coordination and guidance to unite and respond to the epidemic?
"People realize that WHO is usually when the organization declares an international health emergency." The "Voice Deutschland" website opened this way in an article entitled "WHO in the New Crown Epidemic". "For example: in 2009 due to H1N1 flu; in 2014 and 2019 due to Ebola virus; in January this year, due to a new coronavirus. In fact, the task and activity area of this special organization of the United Nations is much larger."
As stated in the article, as a specialized agency responsible for public health affairs within the framework of the United Nations, the World Health Organization is a multilateral platform for global health governance and an authoritative body for guidance and coordination of health issues. Since its inception, the goal has been to achieve the highest possible level of health throughout the world, not only to provide emergency assistance in the event of a disaster, but also to monitor and assess global health conditions to help countries meet public health security challenges.
From historical experience, since its establishment in 1948, WHO has been committed to improving the health of many of the world's poorest and most vulnerable people. WHO is not only fighting the new coronavirus, but also struggling to deal with polio, measles, malaria, Ebola virus, AIDS, tuberculosis, malnutrition, cancer, diabetes, mental health problems, and many other diseases and health problems. From the eradication of smallpox worldwide in 1979, to the AIDS epidemic in 1987, the launch of a global plan on AIDS; from responding to H1N1 to combating the Ebola epidemic, in preventing and controlling diseases and building a global health system, the World Health Organization has never absence.
In the global fight against the new coronary pneumonia epidemic, the World Health Organization has still demonstrated its professionalism and leadership. The official website of the United Nations recently sorted out the WHO's continuous notification of the progress of the outbreak to the member states from the beginning of the outbreak, the release of recommendations and plans to respond to the outbreak, and the dispatch of an expert team to guide the relevant countries, as well as the overall coordination of medical resources and vaccine development The timeline for work in multiple areas highly appreciates the key role played by WHO in leading the global anti-epidemic process. WHO ’s work has also received the cooperation and support of countries around the world.
In the current epidemic, US Republican lawmakers proposed to set up an ad hoc group to assess the operating modes of WHO and other international agencies. Is this really a move that is more in line with "the overall interest of the United States"?
The New York Times reported that Democrats pointed to the Republican Party ’s move as an attempt to divert the mistakes of the US government in solving the epidemic crisis. Democrats believe that WHO may need reforms, but it should not be attacked in response to the pandemic. Elliot Engel, chairman of the US House of Representatives ’Foreign Affairs Committee, has previously stated that“ attacking the WHO will only destroy a key tool for fighting the spread of the epidemic, and worsen the already grim situation. ”
Secondly, from a legal perspective, in the field of health, the World Health Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations and has a legal status. Each member country recognizes that it plays a leading and coordinating role in the health field, and it is the duty of each member country to support WHO ’s role. Articles 13 and 44 of the Regulations of the International Health Regulations also stipulate that “at the request of the World Health Organization, the State Party shall do its best to provide support for the coordinated response activities of the World Health Organization”. Cooperate with each other in detecting and evaluating incidents and taking countermeasures. " Therefore, mutual cooperation between the contracting states and the World Health Organization and other contracting states is their obligation under international law.
More importantly, in the face of the major global public health challenge of the new coronary pneumonia epidemic, countries around the world need a stronger and more effective World Health Organization than ever before.
Last month, the official website of the United Nations published an article "Five reasons why the world needs the World Health Organization to fight the new coronavirus", which clearly pointed out that the World Health Organization played a key role in the response to the coronavirus pandemic. Lead the global response in five major areas: helping countries prepare and respond, provide accurate information, eliminate dangerous rumors, ensure that frontline health workers have access to important supplies, train and mobilize health workers, and find vaccines. At this time, the denigration and accusation against WHO can be described as unreasonable and unfounded. It will only threaten the lives of people and hinder efforts to fight the global pandemic of the new coronavirus.
As WHO Director-General Tan Desai said at a news conference recently, 40 years ago, humans relied on global solidarity to eliminate smallpox. Now, all countries can unite and respond together to overcome the new crown epidemic. "The new crown epidemic is a" key challenge "to global public health and a test of global solidarity. It gives the world the opportunity to change the state of global health, build a healthier, safer and fairer world for all, and achieve WHO The dream at the beginning of the establishment-the health of all people. "(End)