Former NZ PM Helen Clark is appointed to head UN Panel to investigate WHO.
In an interview she acknowledged the contribution of the Gates Philanthropic Foundation . . .
Via RNZ:
"The announcement follows strong criticism by US President Donald Trump's administration, which accused the WHO of being "China-centric", and US formal notification on Tuesday that it was withdrawing from the UN agency in a year's time.
Former New Zealand prime minister Helen Clark and former Liberian president Ellen Johnson Sirleaf have agreed to head the panel, WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said.
"The magnitude of this pandemic, which has touched virtually everyone in the world, clearly deserves a commensurate evaluation, an honest evaluation," Tedros told a virtual meeting with representatives of WHO's 194 member states.
The co-chairs would select the other panel members, he said.
The panel will then provide an interim report to an annual meeting of health ministers in November and present a "substantive report" next May.
"This is not a standard report that ticks a box and is then put on a shelf to gather dust. This is something we take seriously," Tedros said.
In May, WHO's member states adopted unanimously a resolution proposed by the European Union calling for an evaluation of the global response to the pandemic.
Addressing Thursday's meeting, Clark said the assignment would be "exceptionally challenging"."
https://www.rnz.co.nz/national/programmes/morningreport/audio/2018754359/helen-clark-joint-lead-of-who-investigation-into-covid-19