European Union Calls for Reforms at the WHO
2020-10-24
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1The European Union (EU) wants the World Health Organization (WHO) to become more open about how countries report health crises.
2That information comes from a proposal on reforming the WHO.
3The German government wrote up the proposal following discussions with other EU member states.
4It is the latest EU plan to deal with the United Nations health agency's problems with financing, governance and legal powers.
5EU health ministers are to discuss the proposal at a video conference, which starts on Sunday.
6The WHO has been criticized for how it dealt with the novel coronavirus as it spread from China to Europe, the United States and other countries.
7Health experts say the virus has infected over 40 million people worldwide since the start of the year.
8It is blamed for 1.1 million deaths.
9Reuters news agency examined the document, which is dated October 19, 2020.
10It urges the WHO to take measures that would increase "transparency on national compliance" with International Health Regulations.
11These rules require WHO member states to quickly share information on health emergencies.
12The EU document also urges the UN agency to change its method for informing countries about health emergencies.
13It calls for creation of a "traffic light system" that would signal the seriousness of a health crisis.
14The United States has accused the WHO of being too close to China at the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic.
15In December and January, the Chinese government was slow in sharing important information on the newly identified coronavirus.
16President Donald Trump has said the United States will cancel its membership in the U.N. agency and stop its funding as a result.
17The U.S. government is the largest donor to the WHO.
18The EU would become the top donor if the U.S. withdraws from the UN agency.
19The WHO has repeatedly dismissed criticism of its actions during the COVID-19 health crisis.
20Reuters noted that the WHO did not immediately answer requests for comment on the EU proposal.
21Asked about the document on Thursday, a Chinese foreign ministry spokesman said China wanted to "actively participate" in WHO reforms.
22He added that such reforms should not serve the interests of any one country.
23The Chinese official said any changes should "better remove political interference" from the WHO.
24He also said the reforms should increase the agency's funding and ability to deal with public health crises, and strengthen support for developing countries.
25The German government refused to comment on the document.
26Preparations for a study of the handling of the COVID-19 pandemic by the WHO and governments have been continuing for months.
27Germany has repeatedly urged other EU members to speed up that process so that a reform could be discussed.
28Reuters notes that EU health ministers already agreed on a common position on WHO reforms at a meeting in early October.
29The report said Germany wanted a "much more ambitious" plan than many other states would have accepted.
30At that meeting, WHO director-general Tedros Adhanom Gheybreyesus told EU ministers the pandemic "should be seen as a wake-up call."
31He added that the agency was considering how its rules were applied by member states.
32I'm Mario Ritter, Jr.
1The European Union (EU) wants the World Health Organization (WHO) to become more open about how countries report health crises. That information comes from a proposal on reforming the WHO. 2The German government wrote up the proposal following discussions with other EU member states. It is the latest EU plan to deal with the United Nations health agency's problems with financing, governance and legal powers. 3EU health ministers are to discuss the proposal at a video conference, which starts on Sunday. 4The WHO has been criticized for how it dealt with the novel coronavirus as it spread from China to Europe, the United States and other countries. Health experts say the virus has infected over 40 million people worldwide since the start of the year. It is blamed for 1.1 million deaths. 5Reuters news agency examined the document, which is dated October 19, 2020. It urges the WHO to take measures that would increase "transparency on national compliance" with International Health Regulations. These rules require WHO member states to quickly share information on health emergencies. 6The EU document also urges the UN agency to change its method for informing countries about health emergencies. It calls for creation of a "traffic light system" that would signal the seriousness of a health crisis. 7The United States has accused the WHO of being too close to China at the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic. In December and January, the Chinese government was slow in sharing important information on the newly identified coronavirus. 8President Donald Trump has said the United States will cancel its membership in the U.N. agency and stop its funding as a result. The U.S. government is the largest donor to the WHO. 9The EU would become the top donor if the U.S. withdraws from the UN agency. 10The WHO has repeatedly dismissed criticism of its actions during the COVID-19 health crisis. Reuters noted that the WHO did not immediately answer requests for comment on the EU proposal. 11Asked about the document on Thursday, a Chinese foreign ministry spokesman said China wanted to "actively participate" in WHO reforms. He added that such reforms should not serve the interests of any one country. 12The Chinese official said any changes should "better remove political interference" from the WHO. He also said the reforms should increase the agency's funding and ability to deal with public health crises, and strengthen support for developing countries. 13The German government refused to comment on the document. 14WHO chief call crisis a "wake up call" 15Preparations for a study of the handling of the COVID-19 pandemic by the WHO and governments have been continuing for months. Germany has repeatedly urged other EU members to speed up that process so that a reform could be discussed. 16Reuters notes that EU health ministers already agreed on a common position on WHO reforms at a meeting in early October. 17The report said Germany wanted a "much more ambitious" plan than many other states would have accepted. 18At that meeting, WHO director-general Tedros Adhanom Gheybreyesus told EU ministers the pandemic "should be seen as a wake-up call." He added that the agency was considering how its rules were applied by member states. 19I'm Mario Ritter, Jr. 20Francesco Guarascio and Andreas Rinke reported this story for Reuters. Mario Ritter Jr. adapted it for VOA Learning English. George Grow was the editor. 21________________________________________________________________ 22Words in This Story 23transparency -n. the quality that makes something clear and easy to understand 24compliance -n. the act or process of doing what is required by rule, law or order 25pandemic -n. to fast spread of an infectious disease over a large geographical area 26participate -v. to be involved with others in doing something, to take part in an activity 27handle - v. to deal with; to take steps to deal with a situation 28ambitious -adj. not easily done, requiring a desire for success 29apply - v. to make a request or appeal 30We want to hear from you. Write to us in the Comments Section, and visit our Facebook page.