As many as 62 countries, including India, have backed a joint effort by Australia and the European Union to seek an independent probe of the World Health Organisation's response to the COVID-19 pandemic. The demand comes ahead of the beginning of the 73rd meeting of the World Health Assembly, the annual gathering of the WHO's 194 member states, on Monday.
THE WEEK issue on the WHO's handling of COVID-19 on May 10
The BBC reported, "The European Union is expected to lead an international call, alongside countries including the UK, Australia and New Zealand, for an inquiry into how the global pandemic has been handled and what lessons can be learned".
The WHO has faced increasing criticism since April, amid allegations the global health body had downplayed the scale of the COVID-19 pandemic at the behest of China, where the pandemic began.
The draft of the resolution states, "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."
In recent weeks, US President Donald Trump had described the WHO as being a "pipe organ" for China, accusing it of misleading the world on the coronavirus. Trump had also suspended US funding for the WHO.
Earlier this month, US and Germany intelligence agencies claimed that China had sought to coerce the WHO into delaying the declaration of a health emergency over the pandemic. The WHO had declared the coronavirus as a health emergency on January 30, 10 days after China confirmed human transmission was occurring.
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The demand for a probe of the WHO's handling of the situation is being perceived as being part of the geopolitical tussle between the US and China. Interestingly, Pakistan, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Maldives and Afghanistan are reportedly not part of the resolution seeking a probe.
Another flashpoint expected at the Health Assembly summit is a move, led by the US, to admit Taiwan as an observer, which has been opposed by China.
