GENEVA: The World Health Organisation, which faced fierce US criticism over its handling of the coronavirus crisis, launched an independent panel on Thursday to review its response to the pandemic.

The Independent panel for Pandemic Preparedness and Response will be headed by former New Zealand prime minister Helen Clark and former Liberian president Ellen Johnson Sirleaf.

“Through you, the world will understand the truth of what happened and also the solutions to build our future better as one humanity,” World Health Organization chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said at the UN agency’s headquarters in Geneva.

At their annual assembly in May, WHO member states agreed to an independent probe into the UN agency’s coronavirus response, following repeated US attacks.

President Donald Trump had accused the WHO of botching its handling of the pandemic and of being a “puppet of China”.

The resolution, tabled by the European Union, called for an “impartial, independent and comprehensive evaluation”.

It said the investigation should probe “the actions of WHO and their timelines pertaining to the Covid-19 pandemic”.

The United States formally started its withdrawal from the WHO on Tuesday, making good on Trump’s threats to deprive the UN body of its top donor over its management of the pandemic.

Public health advocates and Trump’s political opponents voiced outrage at the move.

‘This has to stop’

Tedros hit out at divisions in the international community and warned of severe consequences if this were not rectified.

“Make no mistake: the greatest threat we face now is not the virus itself -- rather, it’s the lack of leadership and solidarity at the global and national levels,” he said.

“We cannot defeat this pandemic as a divided world. The virus thrives on division but is thwarted when we unite.”

“How is it difficult for humans to unite to fight a common enemy that’s killing people indiscriminately? Tedros said.

“Together is the solution, unless we want to give the advantage the enemy, to the virus that has taken the world hostage — and this has to stop.”

The WHO’s response to the 2014 Ebola crisis was widely criticised. The pandemic killed some 11,000 people mostly in the West African countries of Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone.

Tedros said it was time for honest reflection, and stressed it was important to remain vigilant.

“We’re in the midst of this battle. The battle of our lives, and we have to do better, not just now but for the future. Because these threats will never stop and, in all likelihood, they will get worse,” he said.

The panel will stage one mission briefing per month to give updates, while it will present an interim report to the next World Health Assembly gathering in November.

Nobel Peace Prize winner Sirleaf said: “I look forward to doing all we can to respond to these challenges that have prevented us from being united in moving forward, not only to address the effects of Covid-19 but to ensure a better health system for all nations of the world.”

Clark added: “This assignment could only be described as exceptionally challenging.”

Published in Dawn, July 10th, 2020