WHO should resist politics in Covid-19 source tracing » Capital News

Nearly a year and half since the World Health Organization (WHO) declared the Covid-19 disease a global pandemic, efforts to contain the virus remain challenged. Many countries and territories around the world have come under the spell of new and more deadly variants, deferring hopes for health stability and economic recovery. At the same time, there appears to be a buildup of political acts by some countries that now threaten the gains made in both pandemic source tracing and response.

For four weeks, WHO experts and their Chinese counterparts spent time in Wuhan City, which first reported the virus. The team then made recommendations and conclusions on what might have transpired which would have logically provided a backdrop for further investigations.

A new plan by the WHO Secretariat to abandon those earlier outcomes of the joint study as the world health body launches the second phase of the origin tracing has however, elicited strong reactions from the international community. Several questions are now being raised regarding the impartiality, integrity and utility of the WHO move.

There is no scientific basis, for instance, why the WHO is discounting the outcomes of the joint study that was conducted by its own experts. Secondly, the unilateral decision by the global health body to draw up a new plan without due consultation of member states flies in the face of established rules of procedure governing execution of its mandate. Thirdly, how does WHO intend to conduct audits of Chinese spaces without cooperation of China? Also of concern is the continuity of the source tracing since WHO intends to replace the experts who were involved in the Wuhan mission.

These worries have nudged over 60 countries to write to the WHO Director General, warning against politicization of the Covid-19 source tracing since such eventuality would carry huge implications for a successful international response against the pandemic. As a coordinating agency, the WHO should be at the forefront of building consensus in tackling global health challenges. It can only achieve this through unflinching pursuit of professionalism, independence, and global good.

Besides the Cpvid-19 source tracing, the global health body has even a more urgent responsibility – to galvanize international consensus for effective response against the pandemic. So far, developing economies have fallen behind with miniscule supply of vaccines despite the widely appreciated fact that vaccines remain the most sustainable way out of the pandemic.

According to the WHO, out of the 3.5 billion vaccine doses so far administered around the world, 75% have gone to just 10 reach countries. In the United States, 49% of the population has been fully vaccinated compared to just around 2% in Africa. A country like Democratic Republic of the Congo has only administered 0.08 vaccines per 100 individuals, showing just how dire the situation is in the continent.

As rich countries continue to entice their populations with goodies, including cash, to get vaccinated, people in low income economies are more willing to receive the commodities. Hoarding and use of the vaccines to achieve political ends have instead derailed equitable global response as more problematic variants take root.

If the vaccine inequity were to be addressed, a new study by the WHO and partners indicate that developing countries would inject US$ 38 billion to their collective GDP forecast for 2021. It is these unfortunate realities that make poor countries worried about the utility of the WHO in helping affected counties climb out of the pandemic vortex.

The global health body should therefore focus its energies in providing solutions to the most pressing challenges instead of falling victim to international politics. Diversionary tactics will only delay the global recovery from the health and economic crisis.

The writer is a scholar of international relations with a focus on China-Africa relations. Twitter: @Cavinceworld.