Member states of the World Health Organization unanimously pass a resolution brought by European Union members, African nations and others calling for an independent “comprehensive evaluation” of the international response to the COVID-19 outbreak coordinated by the UN health agency.
The United States has sharply criticized the agency and its relationship with China, where the outbreak erupted.
Overnight, US President Donald Trump listed concerns and criticism about the WHO to its director-general, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
Nations rally around the resolution that calls on the director-general to initiate “at the earliest appropriate moment” an evaluation that would “review experience gained and lessons learned from the WHO-coordinated international health response to COVID-19.”
It is not immediately clear how, when or by whom that evaluation will be conducted.
The resolution points to the “role of extensive immunization against COVID-19 as a global public good,” and calls on international organizations to “work collaboratively” to produce safe, effective and affordable medicines and vaccines.
— AP
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From the Liveblog of
Tuesday, May 19, 2020
