WHO and it’s role

Recently, there have been allegations on the course of action pursued by the WHO in the COVID-19 pandemic. These developments have fuelled observers to suspect China’s influence on the organisation, and raises questions regarding its politicisation.

• World Health Organisation (WHO)
• established in 1948 as a UN specialised agency as a global institution to expand international health cooperation.
• Structure
• The World Health Assembly- supreme decision making body comprising all member states to determine policy direction
• The Executive Board- technical experts to oversee the implementation of WHA’s decisions
• The Secretariat- headed by the Director General and functions as WHO’s administrative and technical organ with the overall responsibility for implementing its activities
• Funding- system of assessed and voluntary contributions.
• Assessed contributions are paid by all member states, and are calculated on the basis of a country’s gross national product and population
• Voluntary contributions - voluntarily paid by other UN organisations, private companies, individuals, NGOs as well as member states.The US was the WHO’s largest contributor and paid a total of $893 million in both assessed and voluntary contributions in 2019

Authority to challenge governments

The international health regulations IHR grants WHO the authority to take actions that can challenge how governments exercise sovereignty in the following ways-

• can collect disease-event information from non-governmental sources, seek verification from governments about such information, and, if necessary, share the information with other states
• can declare a public health emergency of international concern, even if the state experiencing the outbreak objects.
• authority to reinforce the requirement that a state party shall provide the scientific and public health justification for trade or travel restrictions that do not conform to WHO recommendations or accepted disease-control measures.
• The IHR requires states parties to protect human rights when managing disease events, which are led by the WHO.  

Criticisms of WHO during COVID-19

• Lack of preparedness- WHO already had access to data and years of subsequent research
• Delay in declaration- of COVID 19 as a ‘public health emergency of international concern’ (PHEIC).
• Indecision in visiting China- did not show any urgency in sending an investigation team to China.
• Exclusion of Taiwan as member
• Delay in acknowledging human-to-human transmission of the virus
• Not endorsing the use of trade and travel restrictions- arguments that these restrictions violated the IHR, violations that the WHO did not probe despite having authority to do so. Rather, the WHO urged the international community to not spread fear and stigma by imposing travel restrictions.
• Alleged lack of independence- WHO Director General, who won his election with the backing of China has been generous in his approach towards China.
• Appreciation of China’s swift response- especially when there is sufficient evidence of concealment of the outbreak.

Arguments against the criticism of WHO during COVID-19

• Lack of capacity with WHO-lacks functional capabilities to challenge the governments politically.
• Alleged geopolitics over the issues
• Countries like South Korea and Germany who were active were able to contain the spread.
• Development of vaccines- WHO’s efforts to advance development of coronavirus vaccines and therapeutics have been appreciated.
• Countering misinformation- efforts in sharing of information and counter online misinformation and disinformation

Way Forward

• opportunity to rethink the underpinnings of the broader global governance architecture
• WHO reforms announced should be implemented on a war footing
• Its donor dependency and weakened capacity should be addressed effectively, to meet its triple billion targets in future
• India can also contribute towards providing stability and trust to the working of the organisation
• India could work towards maintaining transparency and accountability in the Covid-19 as head of Executive Board

Issues with WHO

• Lack of defined functions- its responsibilities, obligations and powers with respect to infectious diseases.
• Recommendatory powers- The WHO’s authority is recommendatory in nature and include proposing conventions, agreements, public health practices and international nomenclatures
• Unlike bodies like World Trade Organisation (WTO), it has no ability to bind or sanction its members.
• Capacity to work in an outbreak- responsibilities during a pandemic include surveillance, monitoring and evaluation, developing guidance for member states
• coordinating authority and capacity are weak and it merely works as a technical organisation
• It relies on bureaucracy and regional offices for control
• It lacks the ability to direct an international response to a life-threatening epidemic
• Limited funding