The head of the World Health Organization said on Thursday that former Liberian President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf and former New Zealand Prime Minister Helen Clark will head a new panel tasked with giving “an honest assessment” of the global response to the coronavirus pandemic.
WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, whose agency is facing a US pullout following Trump administration complaints about its early handling of the virus emergency, announced the appointments to the newly created Independent Panel for Pandemic Preparedness and Response.
The WHO chief reiterated his calls for global unity and decried a general lack of leadership, but he made no reference to the Trump administration giving formal 1-year notice this week of its intent to withdraw the United States from the U.N. health agency.
He said he would convene a special meeting of the WHO’s executive board in September, before hosting the assembly of its 194 member states in November.
The World Health Assembly, usually held in May, was cut short and held online this year due to the pandemic.
The assembly in May called for a comprehensive evaluation of the WHO’s and the world’s response to the outbreak, and after repeated Trump administration criticism of the U.N. health agency over its handling of the pandemic and alleged deference to China, where COVID-19 first emerged.
Tedros suggested the panel would have an independent administration, update member states regularly on its progress and hold monthly meetings.
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